Cassie's Ficathon Prompts
by Cassie Bones
Summary: My entry for the Castle Summer Ficathon 2014. I couldn't decide on just one prompt so I decided to do a bunch of them as stand-alone one shots for my entry. Read & review! NOW COMPLETE!
1. Chapter 1

**So I just finally sat down and decided to join in on all the Ficathon fun. I really like a lot of the prompts (but not all of them) so I'm going to make this a series of stand-alones and hopefully have enough words to qualify for the Maxificathon. So here's to giving it my best shot. Enjoy!**

**Prompt One: In "Hedgefund Homeboys" Castle convinces Beckett to come on Alexis' DC trip as an extra chaperone.**

"Please," Castle asked, not for the first time and, most likely, not for the last.

"No," Kate said, probably for the thousandth time that night, as she turned down her covers, getting ready for bed. Her phone was balanced between her shoulder and left ear as she listened to him beg and bribe. She stopped him right in the middle of an offer to buy her a personal airline, called 'Air Beckett'. "Castle," she interrupted, "I'm not going to DC with you and Alexis."

"Beckett, _please_!" he practically whined. "Mrs. Davis got sick and if you don't come, then the trip can't happen and then Alexis will be just _so _upset because she's been waiting for this trip for so long and—"

"Castle," Kate interrupted again, "I have work. I can't just leave town last minute."

"Nice try," Castle replied. "I already called Montgomery and he told me that he gave you the weekend off and you're not on call so you have absolutely no reason not to go."

"How do you know I don't have plans," Kate asked, sitting down on her bed. There was a moment of heavy silence and Kate could practically see his look of disbelief, that infuriating eyebrow raise… "Ugh," she said, "fine. I don't, but that doesn't mean—"

"Beckett, please," Castle asked, starting to sound desperate. "Don't do this for me; do it for Alexis. I know you like her more than me, anyway."

"Well, that's true…"

"Hey!"

"Well, you're the one that brought it up. Anyway, to be honest, I only like her more because she's quieter. At least, it seems that way since I never really see her…"

"Oh, she's quieter," Castle insisted. "When she was little, she was like a mouse; I had to check up on her crib every couple of hours to make sure she was still there."

"Sounds like my kind of kid…"

"So you'll do it?"

"No."

"Come on! Please! I'll stay away from the precinct for a week if you do!"

"A month," Kate countered.

"Two weeks," Castle replied.

"Deal," Kate sighed, figuring one night in DC was a pretty good deal for two weeks of peace. "Now will you please let me get some sleep?"

"Of course!" Castle exclaimed and Kate could practically see the look of boyish excitement on his face. "We'll be there tomorrow at seven to pick you up!"

"In the morning?" Kate asked.

"I'll bring coffee."

"Damn right you will."

When he picked her up the next morning, Kate was practically dead on her feet, leaning heavily against the door when she opened it to his smiling face.

"Good morning, Detective!" he said, brightly.

"Coffee," she growled, holding out her hand. Castle laughed and handed her a hot pink thermos. At her raised eyebrow, he sighed.

"It's my mother's," he informed her. "Alexis has mine down in the car." Kate snorted and unscrewed the thermos, taking a nice long sip, sighing in contentment. "Can I take your bags?" Castle asked, stepping inside.

"Bags?" Kate asked. "We're only staying for one night."

"Two," Castle corrected. "We get back on Sunday morning." Kate groaned.

"I have to spend _two nights _with you and a bunch of chatty teenagers?" Kate whined.

"Sorry," Castle said with a shrug. Kate rolled her eyes and handed him the thermos, picking up her overnight bag and dragging back into her bedroom.

After packing another pair of underwear and a new outfit for Sunday, she rejoined him in the living room, where he was trying to _subtly _look around.

"Let's go," Kate sighed, exchanging her bag for the thermos and leading the way out of her apartment, making sure to grab her keys on the way out. Castle followed her, allowing her to lock the door before leading her down the hallway to the elevator.

When they got down to street level, Kate spotted the minivan taxi, where Alexis's red hair was fanned out against the back window. Castle smiled fondly at her as he placed Kate's bag between theirs in the trunk and walked around to open the door for Kate, who slid in next to the sleeping teen.

Alexis stirred long enough for her head to flop onto Kate's shoulder. The detective's eyes widened but she made no effort to move out of the way, her own head falling to Alexis's and she closed her own eyes, a soft smile tugging at her lips.

Castle smiled at the two women, settling in for the short trip to the airport.

He was practically carrying them both when they got there, Kate on one arm and Alexis on the other, their cabbie gracious enough to follow them with their bags. Castle tipped him heavily as they checked their bags, grinning at the woman behind the counter who gave him a little, "aw," when Beckett gave a cute little snort against his neck.

They met with a couple dozen other teens and chaperones, half of whom were about as awake as Kate and Alexis. The leader of the group, Mrs. Adamson, checked them off on her list and thanked the sleepy Beckett for agreeing to chaperone on such late notice. Kate nodded, offering a sleepy smile, still leaning on Castle's arm. Alexis had embraced a few of her friends and the girls were all huddled on a bench, sharing their thermoses of coffee; Alexis's and Paige's.

They waited about an hour until their flight was called and while the students had the _pleasure _of sitting in Economy Comfort, Castle had upgraded the chaperones' seats to First Class, with all of them taking turns checking on the kids throughout the duration of the trip. It was less than two hours long so they got up every twenty minutes and the chaperones who didn't would take the next flight.

In DC, they found their hotel with ease and Kate and Castle were assigned a full floor, in which their charges would fill about five rooms, meaning twenty kids under their care; eight girls and twelve boys.

But, probably the most alarming fact, they would also have to share a room. Granted, it had two beds, but still…

Why the hell had she agreed to this?

"Trust me," Castle said, as if reading her thoughts, "I'll be a perfect gentleman." At her raised eyebrow he held his hands up in surrender. "I wouldn't try anything with my daughter sleeping two doors down."

"Oh really?" Kate laughed. "Your love life would suggest otherwise."

"Well," Castle said, "usually there's a full floor between Alexis and…I'm just going to stop talking now. But, seriously, I wouldn't do anything untoward, Detective. Cross my heart." He made a crossing gesture over his heart, causing Beckett to roll her eyes, but she said no more; just plopped down, face-first, onto her chosen bed. "You know we have to go on a tour in an hour, right?"

Kate moaned, flipping him off over his shoulder. Castle just chuckled and shook his head.

"Why are there so many fucking things to see in Washington, DC?" Kate groaned as they entered their room later. "Why can't this just be where the president lives and let that be that?"

"Because then there'd be nothing else to do in this city," Castle replied, sitting down on his bed. "And we wouldn't be here."

"Hallelujah," Kate said into her pillow.

"Hey, you were having fun," Castle pointed out. "I saw you laughing with your group."

"Yeah, well what do you expect when your fellow chaperone gets winded going up the steps at the Lincoln Memorial?" She honked out a laugh into her pillow when she saw him pout childishly. "Cheer up, Castle," she said, "I'm sure it could happen to anybody…who was out of shape."

"I am _not _out of shape!" he practically squeaked. "I just…haven't…gone jogging in a while."

"Jogging?" Kate snorted, turning her head to look at him. "When have _you _ever gone jogging?"

"I used to go all the time, especially after Alexis was born and I gained all that 'daddy weight'. I only stopped about a month ago."

"Why?" Kate asked.

"I started following you," Castle said, as if it were the most simple thing in the world.

"We haven't had that many cases," Kate pointed out, "and, besides, most of them involve some sort of physical activity so—"

"Can we just agree that I need to jog more off the job and go to sleep please?" Castle begged, lying back on his bed.

Kate chuckled, before groaning as she forced herself off the bed. "Need to take a shower first," she said, making her way towards the bathroom.

"I could wash your back for you," Castle offered. At her answering glare, he shrugged. "Sorry," he said, "force of habit."

Kate rolled her eyes, grabbing her bag and headed into the bathroom.

She emerged half an hour later, wrapped in a fluffy bathrobe. Castle, who'd gotten changed and situated in bed while she washed, looked up as she entered the bedroom, his eyes popping open.

"Put them back in your head, Castle," Kate said, opening the robe to reveal a baggy t-shirt and a pair of shorts that went to her knees. Castle blushed, visibly.

"Sorry," he said, looking away. Kate grinned, slipping the robe off and grabbing her brush, combing through her hair with it, before climbing under the covers and sighing as she sunk into the soft mattress.

They were silent for a moment before Castle spoke:

"Do you always wear clothes to bed?" he asked.

"Castle," Kate warned.

"Sorry," Castle said. "I have no filter."

"I've noticed," Kate replied. "And no." She smiled at the ceiling when she heard him choking on nothing. "You're so easy," she laughed.

"You have no idea," Castle replied, with a tiny cough. Kate rolled her eyes.

"Goodnight, Castle," she said, turning on her side, facing away from him.

"Goodnight, Beckett," he replied, softly, turning off his bedside lamp.

The next morning, Kate woke up to the sound of running water, coming from the bathroom. She poked her head up to check the time and found it was a quarter to seven; they were expected down at breakfast by nine before they had to leave for a tour of the White House and then go on some lame duck tour in Baltimore.

She closed her eyes, intending to sleep for at least another hour, but then the pressure in her bladder caused her to push herself up, stretching out her limbs as she stood, padding towards the door.

She knocked twice.

"Yeah?" Castle replied, his voice echoing off the linoleum.

"Are you almost finished in there?" she asked. "I need to use the bathroom."

"One minute," Castle replied; "just rinsing the conditioner out of my hair."

"Of course you would use conditioner," Kate mumbled to herself, grinning.

When Castle emerged from the bathroom, his bottom half was wrapped in a towel, his top half glistening with water. Kate couldn't keep her jaw from dropping and he noticed the wide-eyed stare.

"Eyes back in your head, Detective," he said as he walked by, making his way to sit on his bed, drying his hair with a smaller towel. Kate rolled her eyes, slamming the door as she entered the bathroom.

When she came back out, Castle was still sitting, half-naked, on the bed. He now had on a pair of sweat pants and was watching cartoons on the television, laughing to himself. Kate's eyes darkened as she watched a few stray drops of water trail down his abs.

And, just her luck, Castle looked up at her at that moment, while her eyes were still glued to his chest. He grinned, teasingly.

"See anything you like, Detective?" he asked. Kate didn't even blink and while she wanted to deny it, she found herself without any words. So she stayed silent.

Castle, surprised, but wanting to tease her just a little more, stood, walking towards her. "I'll take that as a yes," he said, his voice deep and rumbling as he approached, testing her resolve, more than expecting her to retreat.

But she didn't. In a move that surprised even her, Beckett reached out and touched his chest, her fingers catching several drops of water. Castle inhaled sharply and the quick intake of breath seemed to be the thing that snapped Kate out of it and her green eyes met his blue, her cheeks flushed with a mixture of embarrassment and…

"Kate…" Castle husked, looking down at her as his own hand raised, moving towards her cheek, his palm warm against her skin as he cupped it.

"Castle," she said, trying to shake her head, but his hand held her steady, his thumb tracing over her bottom lip.

"Tell me you want me to stop," he whispered, leaning in. "Tell me that you don't want this and I'll back away. Tell me, Kate."

The use of her first name for the second time in less than a minute was the last straw for Beckett and she leaned in, attacking his lips with hers, her arms immediately wrapping themselves around his neck.

Castle received her, gratefully, moaning into her mouth as one of her hands raked through his hair, tugging slightly as she pulled him back towards his bed, laying herself down on it as she pulled him atop her, her hands immediately going for his sweats as he situated himself.

"Kate, I—"

"Shut up, Castle," Kate growled against his lips as her hands reached around to grasp his ass, grinding her hips up into him. Castle moaned, his own hands reaching for her shirt, pushing it up and cupping her bared breasts, making Kate moan in turn.

She pushed him off after a few moments and Castle started to back away, apologizing profusely, before he saw her lift her shirt over her head and throw it to the side, before pulling him back down, this time aiming his head at her breasts. Castle took the hint and immediately latched on, tonguing one nipple and making her cry out in ecstasy.

Kate continued to push at his sweatpants, focusing all her energy on getting them off of his body as Castle's hands and mouth mapped her upper half. She internally rejoiced when she got the pants over his ass and felt him, hard and heavy, against her hip.

"Castle," she moaned, "my shorts."

"Hm?" Castle asked, lips vibrating against her breast. Kate shuddered.

"Take off my shorts," she said. "Take them off, _now._"

Castle nodded, his hands abandoning her chest for the cotton garment around her waist, pulling them down her hips, along with her panties, and tossing them over his shoulder, his lips landing on her thigh and kissing up, over every curve of her body until he reached her lips, pressing his against them in a slow, sensual case.

When they pulled away, Castle pushed his own sleep pants the rest of the way down his legs, discarding them, before settling himself between her legs.

"Are you sure?" he asked her, his eyes searching hers. Kate nodded, firmly.

"Yes," she said. Her voice was confident, strong and sure. Castle nodded, placing one more sweet kiss on her lips as he entered her, causing Kate to moan into his mouth.

Castle paused, giving her some time to get used to him, before starting a slow and easy rhythm, his lips attached to her collarbone, nipping and sucking as he moved in and out.

Kate sighed, wrapping her arms and legs around his body, clinging to him as she urged him faster, harder, in his ear. Castle's hips picked up speed and Kate's nails raked down his back, her legs tightening around his waist. She raised her hips to match his, thrust for thrust, sighing and moaning with each one, getting closer and closer to the edge.

"Castle," she groaned in his ear, "I'm so close. So close."

"Me too," Castle grunted back. "Me too." His thrusts picked up, one hand slithering down between their bodies to circle her clit. Once, twice…

Kate threw her head back as she came, her mouth gaping open on a silent gasp as she fell over the edge, her nails raking down his back. Castle's hips pistoned into her then, getting faster and faster until he, too, fell over the edge, his lips attaching to hers to silence his own moans, which Kate happily swallowed.

He collapsed onto her then, holding himself up on his forearms, his forehead falling to her shoulder, their chests pressed together as they caught their breath.

After a few moments, Castle fell to the side, one of his hands snaking down to meet hers, interlacing their fingers. To his surprise, Kate didn't fight him, squeezing his hand as she, too, caught her breath, her naked chest rising and falling as she relaxed.

"That was…" Castle started, for once the writer in him failing.

"Yeah," Kate agreed, sighing. Castle grinned.

"I guess neither of us had any idea, huh?" he teased. Kate let out a soft chuckle.

"Mmhmm," she said, before turning her head to look over at the clock. "We still have over an hour until breakfast," she said. "I'm gonna sleep a little more, 'kay?"

"Uh, okay," Castle said, his eyes widening as she turned to him, draping herself over his chest and cuddling against him. He smiled softly as her nose nudged against his neck. He wrapped his arm around Kate's waist, reveling in this new side of her.

The alarm had gone off half an hour before breakfast, giving them both just enough time to get cleaned up and dressed and throw their dirty laundry into the bottom of their bags. They shared a few looks as they dressed, a couple shy smiles and innocent brushes before making their way out to rouse their charges.

Kate's girls were easy, already up and putting the finishing touches on their makeup and hair. But Castle had to go in and physically drag most of the boys out of bed, throwing their clothes at them and yelling like a sports coach to get them ready for breakfast. The prospect of food did the trick and they both marched their respective groups down to the hotel breakfast bar, allowing them to mingle with their friends as they filled their plates, again sharing heated looks and grins, sitting closely as they ate.

Throughout the door, even, they shot grins at one another, their hands brushing as they lead their groups through the White House and then they sat a little too close together on the duck tour, their fingers locking as the kids all paid attention to the tour guide.

Alexis, however, noticed, watching as they shared a look that lasted just a bit too long to be normal. And, when they returned to their hotel at the end of the day, she confronted him about it.

"Dad," she said, once they got to their floor, "what's going on?"

"What do you mean?" Castle asked, calmly.

"You know what I mean," Alexis said, folding her arms over her chest. "You and Detective Beckett; something's different."

"Nothing's—"

"Don't lie to me," Alexis said, firmly, disapprovingly. Castle frowned, sighing.

"I don't know," he said. "I don't know what this is, but it's still really new, so…can we just…not talk about it right now? Maybe wait until we get home? Please?"

Alexis sighed, nodding. "Fine," she said, "but the second we get home, we talk about it, okay?"

"Okay," Castle agreed, nodding.

Alexis smiled, reaching up to kiss her father's cheek. "Good night, Daddy," she said, before walking past him to her room.

"Good night," he called after her, before heading towards his own room.

Kate was already there, sitting on his bed. She smiled when he walked in, leaning back on her hands and crossing one leg over the other.

"Hey," she said, seductively, her eyes tracing over his form hungrily. Castle swallowed thickly.

"Hey," he replied, giving her a lame little wave. Kate's grin widened and she stood, sauntering over to him and reaching for his shirt collar.

"You ready for a repeat of last night?" she asked, saucily, her lips landing on his neck.

"Uh…one…one minute," he said, reluctantly pushing her away. Kate's eyes were wide with confusion, searching his questioningly.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

"I…I just want to know what this is," he said, honestly. "What are we doing here?"

"I thought that was pretty obvious," Kate replied, her nose brushing against his.

"Uh…not exactly," Castle replied. "I just…I wanna know if this is just sex to you. Because if it is…I don't know if I can…" he trailed off, shaking his head.

"Why not?" Kate asked, backing away slightly. "You don't…you don't find me _attractive._"

"No!" Castle exclaimed, before shaking his head. "I mean yes! I mean…you know I find you attractive. More than attractive. You're…you're _beautiful_; the hottest woman I've ever seen; honestly. I just…I don't want _just sex _with you."

"Then what do you want Castle?" Kate asked, trying to back away, but Castle caught her with his hands on her hips.

"More," he said, simply. "Dates, flowers—for you, of course—hand holding, kissing, just…more than sex."

"I…I don't know if I can—"

"Yes," Castle interrupted, "you can. I know you can. Or, at least, you can try. That's all I'm asking; just one date, like a trial run, just to test out the waters, as it were. Please?" His eyes were begging her, his thumbs rubbing soothing circles on her waist. Kate searched his eyes, her heart thumping with fear.

She wasn't good at relationships—she'd never been—but it was even worse after her mother's death. The walls around her heart didn't allow for her to enter into any long-term relationships.

But the look in Castle's eyes—that pleading, puppy dog look—mixed with the swelling of her heart at the mere thought of being able to kiss him and hold his hand, freely, as his lover. The thought was enough to make her acquiesce.

"One date," she said, trying to remain firm, "but the boys never find out about it; especially if it doesn't work out."

Castle's smile could have lit up the night sky. "Deal," he said, softly, before leaning in and kissing her soundly on the lips. Kate responded with enthusiasm, her hands reaching up to cup his jaw as she moaned against his lips.

When she pulled back, it was with a bit of urgency. "Does this mean we can't have sex?" she asked.

Castle shrugged. "We already did it once; why not once more?"

Kate beamed at him, snorting out a laugh before planting another passionate kiss on his lips, the both of them falling to the bed in a tangled heap of limbs.

**THE END**

**Next prompt will be up by next Tuesday (hopefully) so stay tuned!**


	2. Chapter 2

**So I know I should be updating one of my other dozen pieces and I will get right to The Bodyguard after this, I swear, but I'm supposed to update this at least once a week and I have a lot of prompts to get to. Anyways, enjoy!**

**Prompt Two: Post-'Boom'—Beckett stays with the Castles just a little bit longer.**

It made sense for her to stay at the loft for a bit longer, while she attempted to find a new place of her own. All her things were already in the spare bedroom (what little there was left) and she was still waiting on her insurance check to come through so she could put down a security deposit somewhere.

Who knew they covered bombs?

Her father's apartment was too small to hold all of her things (he'd sold their old place after her mother's death and got him a little something in Yonkers, near Wakefield). Besides, it was too far from the city and she did not feel like riding on the subway for an hour every morning, especially when Castle's place was just a few short blocks from the precinct.

Lanie had half-heartedly offered her a place to stay, but it came out sounding more like some lame sales pitch, with her explaining how all she had was a pull out sofa and half a drawer for Kate's things. Kate had thanked her and declined, accepting Castle's offer to keep using the extra room for as long as she needed. She could have sworn she saw Lanie and Esposito high-five on her way out of the precinct that day. And then Ryan gave her a strange little grin…

Weird.

Anyway, while she found Castle, for the most part, annoying as hell, she couldn't deny that he had a good heart. He even offered to bring Kate shopping for new clothes, since most of her—oddly designer—wardrobe had gone up in flames and she was left mostly with things from the dry cleaners and a few salvaged pairs of smoke-smelling boots. Kate declined, however; she wasn't about to take his money, too.

Actually, she insisted on paying rent—or at least for groceries. Castle accepted, but she knew that the measly $50 a week he'd asked for was only a fraction of what one would pay for the luxury of living in that suite he called a 'spare bedroom'. It was half as big as her entire apartment had been and she wondered how big _his _bedroom was, considering it was the Master Bedroom and all…

Kate cursed herself for those thoughts almost the second she had them. She should not be thinking about the size of Castle's bedroom…or anything else, for that matter! She took a deep breath and went back to organizing her bedroom.

Before moving in, she and Lanie had gone shopping for new bed sheets (the ones Castle had were heavenly, but she'd need her own later on, anyway) and found a lovely set of 1000-thread count, royal purple ones, as well as a lighter shade comforter to match. Lanie had helped her make her bed with them, with more than a few cheeky comments about how much Castle would love them when he saw them. A simple death glare from Beckett was enough to shut her up, though.

But she did happen to notice, in the following weeks, how often Castle visited her in her bedroom. He never came in before knocking, and never stepped in further than the threshold, but Kate saw his eyes wandering all about the room, probably cataloguing every one of her possessions in his memory; most likely for background for Nikki Heat.

Mostly, he just asked her how her day had been (when they didn't have a case) or told her that dinner was ready, but sometimes they had full conversations while he leaned against the door, laughter and all.

Alexis was the one who first stepped in further than anybody else, plopping herself down on Kate's bed and carrying on a whole conversation about the boy she liked and her friends and school in general. Kate found she liked talking to the teenager and often looked forward to the end of the workday when they would eat junk food and paint each other's nails as they talked about this and that. Kate told Alexis things she'd never even told Lanie.

Some days, Castle would arrive to remind Alexis about her curfew, but once, about three weeks in, he entered the room when he thought they'd both fallen asleep, and pulled the comforter over them, cleaning up the bowls of melted ice cream and placing a kiss on Alexis's forehead, before hesitating, looking down at Kate. Kate, whose eyes were partially covered by her hair, was completely awake and aware, but kept her breathing even as she felt Castle's lips ghost against her cheek, before she registered him moving away and the lights shut off and the door closed softly.

After that night, she looked at him differently. She came out of her room more, spent time helping him with dinner and talking with Martha and Alexis, both. They spent most nights in front of the television, watching movies or game shows (Castle usually answered most of the questions correctly on Jeopardy, but Kate was a whiz at Wheel of Fortune) and Kate found herself slowing blending into the Castle family.

Then, one night, she'd come back from work tired and sore after chasing a perp down. It hadn't even been her own suspect, but she'd seen the jerk rob a little old lady on her lunch break and immediately went after him, knocking him to the ground after a ten-minute chase. Now every single bone in her body felt bruised.

Martha had been the first one to notice her aches, almost the second she walked through the door, and had helped her to the couch, where she sat and let Martha fuss over her, getting her ice packs and checking her for bruises and just doting on her like her own mother used to. The mere thought choked Kate up and she almost brushed her off, but then Martha started running her hands through her hair in a relaxing manner and Kate just sunk into her, letting herself relax for just a few moments and inhale Martha's strong perfume.

Once dinner was ready, both Alexis and Martha helped her to the table, where they sat her down gently and kept asking her if she was alright as they ate. Castle, for his part, stayed mostly silent but she could see the worry and concern in his eyes as they ate.

When they were done, Alexis excused herself to Paige's house for a sleepover and Martha hesitated to head over to Chet's, still worried about Kate, but the younger woman insisted that she go, and have fun; she'd be fine.

Martha was still reluctant but left with a kiss to Kate's head and get well wishes as she made her exit, leaving Castle and Kate alone together. They sat in awkward silence for a few moments, before Castle stood and began gathering the plates and glasses, insisting that Kate not get up just yet. When he was done, he helped her up and led her through the living room, into his office, instructing her to just wait a moment. Kate, confused but not willing to argue, stayed put, attempting to relieve some of the ache by leaning against a bookshelf.

It didn't work.

When Castle returned, he took her hand and led her in the direction of his bedroom. Kate didn't even try to protest, thinking that maybe he was offering her the use of his bed—which had to be a hundred times more comfortable than her own—tonight.

He wasn't. But Kate's eyes still widened when she saw the massage table, planted firmly in the center of his large room, looking impossibly comfortable. She looked up at Castle, confusion etched in her features, and he smiled back, handing her a pair of boxers and one of his own tank tops.

"Tonight," he said, "I'm giving you a massage."

"Castle," Kate said, shaking her head, "you really don't have—"

"I _want _to," Castle insisted. "I mean, it's the least I can do for one of New York's finest, right? Come on, Beckett; go put this on and get ready to feel completely relaxed and utterly boneless." Kate lifted one brow, skeptically. "I swear I won't do anything inappropriate and untoward," he vowed. "Unless you want me to." His eyebrows danced on his forehead and Kate snickered, nudging him aside as she made her way towards his bathroom, nearly having a heart attack at the sight of a life-size Boba Fett. She rolled her eyes and shut the door when he laughed outright.

When she returned, she couldn't help but notice Castle's blush as his eyes traced up and down her figure, obviously loving the sight of her in his clothing. He attempted to hide it, however, as he invited her to climb up onto the massage table, helping her get settled, before putting on some calming classical music. 'Moonlight Sonata' was first and Kate's muscles immediately began to relax as she felt his hands mold the flesh of her arm, from her shoulder to her fingers, his thumbs rolling over each joint and sore muscle. She was practically asleep by the time he reached the other arm.

She woke up, however, when he asked, softly, for permission to raise her shirt so he could do her back. She nodded, sighing as she felt the cool air touch her back and then his warm hands were back on her, rubbing the oil into her skin and lighting her entire body on fire.

By the time his hands moved down to her legs, which were mostly uncovered from her thighs down, Kate was fully awake once again and attempting to stifle her moans and groans.

'Moonlight Sonata' had given way to slightly more fast-paced classical piece that Kate couldn't identify, but it had her heart racing in seconds as Castle's hands molded her aching feet, his fingers squeezing and rolling each toe in a way that sent shivers up her spine.

When he was done with her back half, Castle helped Kate roll over so that he could do her front, focusing first on her abdomen and hissing when he saw the large, purplish bruises on her stomach. His hands were gentle and sure as they passed over them, touching just enough to sooth some hot oil over them, making Kate melt.

As she looked up at his face, she could see the faint blush on his cheeks, but his face remained calm and emotionless as he focused on making her feel better, his hands working their magic over every inch of her body. When his hands started rubbing circles up her abdomen, Kate found herself holding her breath as he got closer and closer to her chest. Her breasts had already grown heavy with barely restrained lust, and she was almost certain that her nipples were poking through the think tank he'd given her.

And then his thumbs 'accidentally' brushed the undersides of her breasts and she couldn't hold back her moan. Castle's eyes widened at the sound, his irises darkening instantly as his thumbs once again brushed against her, producing another moan.

"Kate," he breathed, and she let out a tiny sigh at the sound of her first name tumbling over her lips.

"Don't stop," she practically whimpered, feeling his thumbs still pressed against her, unmoving. Castle inhaled sharply, before his thumbs began moving again.

Kate found herself pressing up into his touch, making Castle more bold as he pressed his full palms to Kate's breasts, squeezing and running his thumbs over her nipples, making her sigh and moan and groan, her hips bucking up. After a moment of this, Castle began working the tank top off of Kate's body, and she helped, sitting up and tossing it away. Once it was gone, Castle's lips moved to her bared breasts, wrapping his lips around one nipple as his hand continued to caress the other one, then switching. Kate's hands rose, her fingers burying themselves in his hair, encouraging him. Castle moaned as her nails raked over his scalp, his teeth nipping at her nipple, making her cry out in ecstasy as his hands and mouth did incredible things to her body.

Before Kate even realized it, she was falling over the edge, her entire body shuddering under Castle's ministrations, her mouth falling open on a silent gasp. Castle immediately lifted his head from her breast, his eyes lighting up in wonderment as they found hers.

"Did you just—"

Kate didn't let him finish, her hand, which was still wrapped in his hair, pulling his head down to meet her lips, sighing as they began moving against hers in a passionate kiss. Castle got the message immediately, his arms wrapping themselves around Kate's body and lifting her, carrying her three feet to the bed and gently laying her down.

Kate refused to let go of him as he attempted to move away from her, so Castle settled for feeling his way down her body, his lips still blissfully attached to hers as he rid her of her of the borrowed boxers, groaning when he felt the smooth skin underneath.

Only then did he detach their lips to speak.

"You were wearing my boxers and nothing underneath?" he growled. Kate grinned, nipping his lips.

"They're underwear, aren't they?" she teased, before pressing against him and groaning. "Speaking of, take yours _off_, Castle," she growled, her hips bumping against his. Castle grinned.

"As you wish," he said, backing away. He was only wearing a t-shirt and sweats—his usual attire for the evenings—and he was able to rid himself of them pretty quickly, before returning to Kate, pressing every inch of their bodies together firmly. Kate sighed at the feel of his smooth skin against hers, her arms and legs wrapping around him as her hips rose and she moaned at the feeling of his hardness against her.

Castle smiled at the moan and began kissing a trail from her jaw, down her body, getting lower and lower until—

"Eep! Castle!" Kate cried out as he poked a particularly ticklish spot on her abdomen. He snickered and did it again, making her giggle and the sound was like music to his ears. Set pressed his open mouth against that spot and blew a raspberry onto it, making her cry out with laughter yet again.

Castle continued tickling her, both with his mouth and his fingers, making her squirm and snort and giggle adorably until she could barely breath and was crying out for mercy. Castle gave her none, laughing against her skin as well, reveling in her mirth.

Then, suddenly, his mouth found a _different _place on her to tease, and Kate's laughter turned to erotic moaning, her hands grasping at the comforter below her writhing body. Castle's lips settled over her wetness, his tongue entering her swiftly and making her cry out, one hand burying itself back in his hair as her hips bucked into his face. Castle laughed and it vibrated throughout her entire body, making her shiver. His arms reached up, lifting her legs to rest over his shoulders and his palms reaching towards her breasts, molding them as she cried out.

"Castle," she moaned, as his tongue found her clit, his lips closing around it and sucking. Kate's hips bucked harder than before and Castle held them down with his hands, his lips and tongue and teeth working harder to bring her to completion. Kate's body continued to vibrate, however, and she found herself pressing his face further into her wetness. Castle didn't seem to mind, working his tongue in tight circles around her clit until he felt her fall over the edge, smiling against her.

Kate's body quaked for a few moments before melting into the mattress, a satisfied smile on her face. Castle crawled up her body, pressing kisses on every inch of skin he could reach, before pressing his lips to hers.

"Mmm," Kate sighed when she tasted herself on his lips. When Castle backed away, he was smiling down at her, his blue eyes sparkling as he nuzzled her nose with his. Kate chuckled, one hand cupping his cheek.

"That was…wow," she breathed against his lips.

"Tell me about it," Castle husked back, and suddenly Kate was all too aware of the hardness against her hip. She bit her lip, giving him a naughty grin as she wrapped one leg around his hips, leaning up to press her lips against his, softly, as she pushed up with her body, effectively turning them over. Castle looked up at her with a dazed expression.

"Whoa," he breathed and Kate chuckled, leaning down.

"I know," she replied as she kissed him again, her hand reaching down to feel him. Castle groaned against her lips, his hips bucking up against hers. Kate giggled, rubbing against him. "Do you have…?"

Castle nodded. "Bedside drawer," he said. Kate nodded and reached over, placing her breasts right above his face. Castle grinned and, taking his chance, reached up, wrapping his lips around her nipple, making Kate shudder as her hand finally closed around a wrapper, bringing it back quickly and ripping it open with her teeth.

Castle groaned. "That is so hot," he growled up at her. Kate chuckled, kissing his lips as she rolled the condom on him, his hips bucking at the feel of her warm hand.

Once he was fully protected, Kate pressed him against her core, working herself down over him agonizingly slowly. Every muscle in his body tensed at the feeling of her warmth, but his eyes stayed open, riveted to her green gaze. Once he was fully sheathed, Kate let out a stuttered breath, her cheeks flushed and eyes dark as she looked down at him.

"You okay?" she asked, palming his cheek. Castle nodded.

"You?" he asked. Kate smiled and nodded. "I'm not going to last very long

"Neither am I," Kate admitted and Castle groaned as she began to ride him; slowly at first, her hips picking up speed gradually, until all that could be heard was their skin slapping together as she rode him, fast and hard, his hands squeezing her hips.

Kate's own hands remained planted on his chest, her body leaning on them as she rocked her hips against his, their eyes remaining locked. She bit her lip as she felt herself get closer and closer to the edge. Castle's hand snaked down, rubbing against her clit, pressing tight circles to it and breathing a sigh of relief as he felt her inner muscles squeezing him, allowing himself to fall over the edge with her.

Kate, to his immense relief, called out his name as she came, her nails raking down his chest before her body collapsed over his. He followed seconds later, grunting her name in her ear, his lips pressed against the skin of her neck. Kate's body shivered a few moments later and Castle dragged the comforter from underneath their bodies, draping it over them and pulling Kate against his chest.

She went willingly, her own lips pressing to his chest, peppering kisses over his heart, before her cheek pressed against it, listening to the rhythmic beating. Castle's arms wrapped tightly around her waist, holding her, surprised when she didn't attempt to put any distance between them. In fact, she pressed impossibly closer to him, practically purring in contentment.

Castle wanted, more than anything, to ask what this was; what was between them now. For most of the time he's known Kate Beckett, she's attempted to push him out of her life, denied his advances, and continually insulted him. But now…

She was like a kitten, curling against him. Her lips were pressed against his heart and he realized with startling clarity that it belonged to her—probably had since the day they met. And now…now he hoped that he held even just a little bit of hers.

But it was too soon to ask; far too soon. So he settled for the silence, his body wrapped around hers and hers tucked into his as they drifted off into a peaceful, post-coital slumber.

**How was that? Please REVIEW!**


	3. Chapter 3

**New prompt! Also, guys, I'm not taking prompts from you; I'm taking them from the Ficathon challenge page. I already have them all written out in a notebook to do, one by one. I do, however, take some AU prompts on my Tumblr, cassbones, if you wanna send me one there.**

**Anyway, enjoy this one, okay?**

**Prompt: Post-Countdown. No Josh. "I've been thinking…"**

Since he'd woken up in the back of that ambulance, Castle has been thanking his lucky stars and simultaneously keeping an eye on Beckett, his heart clenching every single time she let out an involuntary shiver.

He'd immediately wrapped his body around hers after stepping off the ambulance, thanking the gray-haired doctor for his help as he walked slowly to her, returning her half-hearted grin. He'd noticed her looking around before and he knew whom she was attempting to catch sight of.

But Josh Davidson was nowhere in sight. Silently, he'd opened his own blanket and embraced her, internally dancing with joy when she leaned in to him.

"You know," she'd whispered, her cheek pressed against his chest, "I thought that maybe—just maybe—he would decide not to go. Just this once. Then maybe we'd have a chance." She let out a mirthless chuckle. "I guess I was just kidding myself though." He didn't say anything; just held her more tightly. She didn't seem to mind.

Their day went on pretty much like that…

Except, you know, they were also looking for a dirty bomb. But Castle found every reason to keep Beckett close by, making sure that she was always warm enough and wasn't focusing on the fact that she almost died…again. And she seemed to be doing the same exact thing.

The way she looked at him now, even while her focus was primarily focused on that damn terrorist device, was different. Like he was somehow more…precious. Like if she looked away for too long he might vanish into thin air.

By the time they found the bomb and were waiting for the inevitable doom, she was looking at him as if he were her world and he wanted to memorize every single wrinkle and hair follicle.

Thirty seconds were left and suddenly, she reached up and kissed him for all she was worth, taking him completely by surprise. Their kiss lasted a good twenty seconds, leaving them both breathless afterwards and Castle had just enough time to realize that he had to do something—_anything_—to stop this. For her. For them.

So, acting on pure instinct—or stupidity; he hasn't decided which yet—he grabbed all the wires in his right hand, his left still clutching hers firmly, and yanked every single one of them out of the bomb. There was a spark that made his heart jump and then…nothing.

He and Beckett stood there for a second, just looking at the bomb, in shock, before he let the wires drop to the ground.

"Castle," Beckett gasped, turning to look at him with relief and amazement and…something else swimming in her eyes. She left out a laugh as they embraced, holding each other in vice-like grips, laughing in joy. When he released her from the hug, Kate barely backed away before she was cupping his cheeks in her hands and pressing her lips insistently against his once again, her tongue taking the time to invade his mouth, slowly and leisurely. Castle moaned, his hands pressing against her hips, snaking around to her back, pulling her body against his.

After a few moments, they broke for air, Kate pulling away first and smiling brilliantly up at him, her green eyes sparkling up at him. Suddenly, she started giggling hysterically, her body shaking with her laughter. Castle soon joined in and then they were holding onto each other as their bodies vibrated with mirth. When his arms was once again hooked around her waist, Castle pumped his fist in the air.

"Yes!" he cried out, making Kate laugh and kiss him again.

After that, everything was a blur. They helped Nazihah get her baby back and get cleared of all charges against her, considering she was coerced into the whole thing. After that, Montgomery surprised them with beer and a party in the break room, where they could unwind after the stressful day they'd had.

Castle listened with everybody else as Kate retold the story of how Castle had, unwittingly, saved the city, making everybody laugh. They shared a few looks throughout, but neither were ready to tell the others of the change in their relationship…especially if it was just a fluke.

Besides, Kate already had a boyfriend, didn't she?

When Fallon pulled them aside to thank them for their 'bravery' and hard work, Kate made a quip and Castle followed along, naturally, making her roll her eyes. The agent didn't seem to notice much of a difference in their relationship, but Castle figured he'd already assumed they were together and he wasn't about to correct him.

Especially if there were no corrections to be made.

When he left, there was only Castle and Beckett—and a couple of other stray detectives and unis, but Castle barely registered their presence because the way Kate was looking at him right now…

He wanted her to always look at him like that—her eyes filled with so much affection, a faint blush on her cheeks, and her teeth teasing her bottom lip.

"You know," he said, placing one hand on her waist, not caring if anybody could see, "I think I could be that person." At her look of confusion, he elaborated. "The one that could be there for you, like you'd be there for me? _Are _there for me, I mean. You've always been there for me; even when you hated me."

Kate snorted at that. "I never hated you, Castle," she said. "I just thought you were an egotistical, self-centered jackass…but I never hated you."

He chuckled. "So," he said, "is that a yes?"

Kate's smile dropped and so did his heart. She could see it in his face and she rushed to reassure him. "I want to say yes," she said, honestly, "but…there's something I have to take care of, first, okay?"

"You need to hide a body?" he joked. "Cause, you know, I could help with that."

Kate snorted. "Let's see how things go first," she said, holding up her phone. He nodded in understanding and removed his hand from her waist, taking out his own phone.

"I should probably go call my family," he said, "and let them know I'm okay."

Kate nodded, backing away from him and frowning as she dialed _his _number, putting the phone to her ear.

Castle did the same, spending a full ten minutes assuring his mother and daughter that everything was alright and that it was safe to come back to the city, though he suggested they stay overnight at the Hamptons house, for reasons he refused to explain.

"I'll tell you everything when I get back, I swear," he promised his worried daughter. "Okay. I love you, too. Goodbye." He hung up just as Kate was making her way back, aggravation and anger etched in her face. Wordlessly, Castle pulled her into an embrace.

"What happened?" he murmured in her ear.

"He accused me of cheating," she sighed against his chest. "Said he didn't need me in his life, anyway, and somebody would be by to pick up the things he'd left at my apartment next week." She shook her head. "Like he never even cared for me at all." She snorted. "Figures."

"Why?" Castle asked.

She shrugged. "I never really cared for him either…not the way I should have, anyway. He was just…a stand-in, I guess. For the real thing."

"Which is…?"

Kate glared up at him, but he wanted her to say it. She rolled her eyes and sighed. "You, you goober," she said, poking him in the ribs and making him squeak. She snorted and leaned up, pecking his lips, uncaring of who saw. He smiled against her lips, his arms tightening around her. One hand rose to cup her jaw, his thumb rubbing her cheek.

"What was it you were going to say?" Castle asked. "In the…you know…right before they found us. You said, 'I just want you to know that I…' but you never finished the thought. It's been bothering me all day, to be honest, and I don't think I'll be able to focus on _anything else _if I don't know what you were going to say."

Kate bit her lip, looking down for a moment, before meeting his eyes again. "I was going to say," she admitted, "that I…I love you, Castle."

Castle's eyes widened as the words left her lips, his own lifting into a goofy grin. "Really?" he asked. "You…you love me?" Kate nodded, shyly, peering up at him from beneath her eyelashes. Castle's grin grew and he cupped both of her cheeks in his hands as he leaned down and pressed his lips firmly against her, his tongue plundering her mouth in his passion. Kate moaned against him, her arms wrapping around his neck while his looped around her hips.

"I love you," Castle murmured into her mouth. "I love you so much. More than I've ever loved anybody." Kate giggled against his lips.

"Me too," she sighed, biting her lip when he released it. "I didn't think I could love somebody this much after…" she trailed off but he knew what she was referring to. He nodded, rubbing her cheek with his palm, soothingly.

Kate beamed up at him and was about to lean up into him once again, when a voice from behind startled her.

"What the hell?!" Castle and Kate turned, their eyes wide as they met the shocked gazes of their friends. Montgomery and the boys were standing there, eyes comically huge as they stared at Castle and Beckett, who blinked at them, caught.

Castle turned to Kate. "May I?" he asked, wiggling his eyebrows at her.

Kate thought it over for a moment before rolling her eyes and nodding. "Go ahead," she sighed, a smile lighting up her face as Castle beamed, first at her, and then the boys as he said, "SHE LOVES ME!"

Kate watched with amusement as three heads snapped towards her. She grinned, nodding. "It's true," she said, softly, giggling as three jaws dropped, eyes nearly popping out of their heads.

Montgomery was the first to snap out of it. "Well it's about damn time," he said, before turning to Esposito. "You can tell Lanie that I'll collect my winnings in the morning," he said, before nodding to Castle and Beckett. "Congrats, you two," he said, before making his way out of the precinct.

When he was gone, Javi and Kevin turned to glare at them.

"You couldn't wait one more month before goin' at it?" Esposito growled. "Just one more month? Where's your self-control?"

"Screw their self-control," Ryan said. "You couldn't have done this _yesterday?_ I could have paid for my entire wedding!"

Kate rolled her eyes. "That'll teach you to bet on people," she said. "Now, if you'll excuse us…"

She grabbed Castle's hand, tugging him back into the break room to retrieve her jacket, before dragging him towards the elevator. As the doors closed, Castle winked at them, before leaning down to press his lips against Kate's in a passionate kiss.

Ryan and Esposito gagged as the doors closed.

**REVIEWS please!**


	4. Chapter 4

**It's that time of the week again! Enjoy this next prompt from the Ficathon page.**

**Prompt: Castle takes the bullet in "Knockdown"**

It all happened so quickly for Kate. One second, she's looking at an audience of mourners, all clad in black, with numerous handkerchiefs held to noses and dabbing at eyes, and the next…

Castle is lying atop her, all the breath gone from her body.

The second she catches it, however, she is pushing him off of her.

"Castle, what the hell?!" she exclaims, turning in his direction, her face going pale at the sight of blood pooling around a hole in his collarbone. Castle's face is screwed up in pain, his face even whiter than hers. Kate immediately rushes to put pressure on the bullet wound, screaming out for Lanie over her shoulder.

Her friends are all there in an instant. Lanie drops to her knees beside her and takes over, pressing her own handkerchief to the wound and instructing Kate to call 911. The distressed detective takes out her phone and, with her blood-soaked fingers, dials the three-digit phone number, hurriedly explaining to the operator what happened and that they need medical help _immediately._ When she hangs up the phone, Lanie is still working on stopping the blood flow and Castle is trying desperately to breath evenly. Kate crawls up near his head and cups his cheeks in her hands, getting him to look at her.

"It's alright," she says, softly. "Everything's going to be alright, Castle. I'm right here. We're all right here." He opens his mouth but no sound comes out, so he just stiffly nods, his faces screwing up in even more pain. Tears run down Kate's cheeks as she strokes his jaw with one hand and hair with the other, trying desperately to calm him. He attempts to look down at what Lanie's doing, but Kate turns his head back up so that he's looking into her tear-filled green eyes. "Look at me," she says, "just keep looking at me, okay? Everything's going to be alright." He nods again and that's when Kate starts to notice his eyelids drooping. They're losing him.

"Castle!" she shouts. "Keep your eyes open. Keep looking at me, baby; just look at me. Come on, Castle; please don't leave me." She barely registers the pet name and she doubts he notices it at all as his eyes close further and she starts to panic. "No, Rick," she cries, "open your eyes. Please, don't leave me, Castle." She can tell he's fighting it, but it's just no use and she's starting to give up. "Rick, I love you," she says, finally, feeling as if a weight has been lifted off of her shoulders. "I love you, Rick." Right before the lights go out in his eyes, he gives her a smile—one that reaches his eyes, right before they close and his body goes limp.

She doesn't even register the next half an hour, between the paramedics carrying him into the ambulance, the agonizing minute and a half of a flat line before they get his heart working again, and then sitting in the waiting room, next to Martha, who is clutching her hand tightly and has her opposite arm wrapped around Alexis's shoulders.

Alexis hadn't said a single word to Kate in the ambulance and the older woman doesn't blame her one bit. After all, it's her fault that they're in this mess in the first place. If it hadn't been for her…

"I'm sorry," she chokes out, suddenly, startling both redheads. Martha looks over at her with confusion in her eyes.

"Whatever for?" she asks.

Tears fill Kate's eyes. "For putting him in danger," she replies, her voice a shaky garble. "If it hadn't been for me, this—"

"Don't be ridiculous!" Martha scolds, squeezing her hand. "My son is over forty years old; he's responsible for his own actions and their consequences, not you. He knew the risks and he chose to follow you around, anyway. You can't blame yourself, dear; or even him. The only person you can blame is the man who shot at you. He—or she—is the one who's really at fault here."

"But—"

Martha holds up a hand, causing Kate to stop talking. "No buts," she says. "It. Is not. Your fault. Understood?" Kate nods, smiling sadly as Martha squeezes her hand. On the other side of her, Alexis still looks angry, but less so and that's progress, right?

"Kate?"

She turns and almost groans out loud at the sight of her boyfriend, whom she hasn't seen for days—not since she got back from LA over a week ago—walking down the hall towards her, a grin on his face.

"Hey, Josh," she says, trying to keep her voice light, despite her mood. He barely seems to notice as he leans down, kissing her cheek, he smile plastered on his face.

"Did you come to see me?" he asks. "Because I don't get off shift for another five hours, you know; I have an open-heart in, like, two minutes, but I can meet you at your place after—"

"No, Josh," Kate says, sighing as she stands. "Actually, can we talk?" She spares a glance at the two redheads, who are trying to look as if they're _not _totally listening in on their conversation. "In private?"

"Babe, can we do this later, because—"

"No," Kate interrupts, "we can't do this later. Besides, it will only take a minute, I swear."

Josh looks at his watch, then nods. "Okay," he says, "you have one minute. Come on." He leads her down the hall and holds the door to the on-call room open for her. She offers him a smile before stepping in. Once the door is closed, she turns to him, backing away when he tries to kiss her again.

"Josh," she says, with her hand on his chest, "I can't do this."

His face screws up in confusion. "What?" he asks. "What can't you do?"

"This," Kate replies, motioning between them. "Us. I…I can't keep doing this." She takes a deep breath. "Look, Josh, I really, _really _like you, but—"

"You don't love me," he finishes for her, sighing. "Not like you love _him._" The last word is bitter, but she can tell that Josh is more sad than he is angry.

Kate doesn't even attempt to deny it—it would be a lie, anyway. So, she nods.

"I don't…I don't think we ever really had a chance," she says, honestly. "I mean, I really tried but…"

"He was always there," Josh finishes for her, again. "I get it; really, I do. And I think you're right."

"You do?" Kate asks. Josh nods and pulls something out of his pocket.

"I'm leaving for South America in about a month; I was trying to find a way to tell you but…well, I guess it doesn't matter anymore. Now neither of us has anything holding us back."

She knows he didn't mean it as an insult, but it still cuts her nonetheless, especially since she's been getting on him lately about always flying off to third world countries and leaving her for weeks at a time. Sometimes, months.

It's better this way, is what he's really trying to say. Kate nods in agreement.

"I'm really sorry this didn't work out," she says, sincerely.

"Yeah," Josh says, "me too."

"Goodbye, Josh," Kate says, holding out her hand to shake. Josh looks at it, before pulling her into a hug, taking Kate completely by surprise.

"Bye, Kate," he says, before letting her go. "I'll see you around."

Kate nods, giving him one last smile before exiting the room and making her way back to Martha and Alexis, not looking back.

She finds them standing and talking to a doctor, looks of relief on their face. Martha turns and smiles brightly as she approaches.

"Oh, Kate!" she exclaims. "There you are!" She reaches out when Kate is close enough and pulls her into the conversation. "This is my future daughter-in-law," she tells the doctor, and Kate has to school her features to keep from giving herself away. She nods slowly. Dr…what's-his-face smiles at her and turns back to Martha.

"Your son is out of surgery," he says. "He has a fractured collarbone from where the bullet hit and we had to give him an emergency blood transfusion due to all the blood loss he sustained, but he should be good as new with a couple months of physical therapy and some bed rest. He should be awake soon if you would like to go and see him."

Martha nods. "Yes," she says, "we would, actually." She begins pulling Alexis and Kate in the direction—Kate assumes—of Castle's hospital room, only to be stopped by the doctor.

"Family only, please," he says. Martha glares at him.

"How dare you?" she growls. "This is my future daughter-in-law; she _is _family!"

"I understand that, Ma'am, but—"

"No buts," Martha says, firmly. "She's coming to see him." She leaves no room for argument as she tugs both Kate and Alexis towards the hospital room, entering behind them. Her heart jumps as she sees his eyes open almost the second they enter.

He gives them a sleepy smile. "Mom…Pumpkin…welcome to my crib." Martha lets out a cackle and Alexis, a sob. Kate is silent as she watches them from the doorway, embracing him and showering his cheeks with kisses and talking his ear off until he suddenly turns to her with a wide grin.

"Kate," he says, "come on in; I don't bite. Not until the third date, anyway."

She snorts. "I'll have to take your word for it," she teases back, walking further into the room. He beckons her to a seat near the bed, on the opposite side from where Alexis and Martha are sitting. The latter is smiling, but the former still looks untrusting. Kate shoots her an apologetic look as she sits, her eyes widening as Castle reaches out and takes her hand in his much larger one.

"Hey," she greets him, softly, feeling her heart flutter in her chest.

"Hi," Castle replies, looking at her as if she's his whole wide world. Martha notices this look and stands up.

"I'm famished," she announces. "Come, Alexis," she says, "why don't we go get some brunch?" Alexis opens her mouth to argue, but the look Martha gives her causes the words to die on her lips and she stands. Martha turns back to her son. "Would you like anything, kiddo?" she asks, stroking a hand through his hair. Castle shakes his head with a soft smile on his lips.

"I'm not allowed," he says. "Just had surgery, remember?"

Martha rolls her eyes. "Well," she says, "just let me know when you…you know," she says, and he nods.

"Of course, Mother," he says, rolling his eyes at Kate, who smiles, adoringly, too tired to even try hiding it this time.

"Would you like something, Katherine?" Martha asks.

Kate shakes her head. "No, thank you," she says. "I'm good." She feels Castle squeeze her hand and it causes her heart to squeeze as well.

"Okay," Martha says, "we'll be back in twenty minutes or so. Come on, Alexis."

"Bye, Daddy," Alexis says, kissing Castle's forehead before following her grandmother out. She says nothing to Kate.

As soon as they're gone, Kate sighs, looking at Castle. "She must hate me," she says.

"Never," Castle replies, firmly. "Alexis doesn't hate anybody. She's just a little upset."

"As she should be," Kate says, "I almost got you killed today, Castle!"

"Hey," Castle says, squeezing her hand. "The way _I _remember it, I chose to jump in front of you; this is my fault, not yours. Please don't blame yourself."

"You remember the shooting?" Kate asks. Castle nods.

"Every single detail," he says, his eyes boring into hers. "Especially the pain—oh God that was horrible." He's trying to lighten the mood, and it works…just barely.

"Try getting shot in the chest," Kate says. "Worse pain imaginable—even with a Kevlar on."

"You've been shot?" Castle asks. Kate nods.

"Once, when I was still a rookie. Some junkie got the drop on me and Royce never let me forget it." She laughs softly at the memory, before facing him again. "So you remember _everything_, you said?"

He nods. "Some of it, I'm not sure if it's real or if I just imagined it, so you might need to help me." Kate nods, taking a deep breath.

"Of course," she practically whispers.

"Okay, so when I was on the floor, you…you said something; right before everything went dark. What was it?" His eyes are wider now, a hint of desperation and something like hope in their depths.

Kate takes a deep breath, closing her eyes for a second to gather herself, before opening them and leaning forward until their faces are just a couple of inches apart.

"I love you," she says. "I said that I love you. And I do, Rick; I love you. More than I ever thought possible."

Castle eyes are wide and she thinks that she can see tears in them. "What about Josh?" he croaks and she looks down for a second, before peering up at him from underneath her eyelashes.

"We broke up," she says, so quietly he almost doesn't hear her.

"Why?" Castle asks.

Kate shrugs. "I liked him," she says, "I really did, but…he's not you." She looks up fully then, looking him right in the eye. "I only want you. I only _love _you."

Slowly, a smile blooms on Castle's face and he squeezes her hand even tighter, if that's possible. "I love you, too," he croaks and Kate's smile is more brilliant than he's ever seen. In a heartbeat her lips are on his, their hands still connected.

When she pulls back for air, they're both grinning like fools. She nudges his nose, looking deep into his eyes.

"I love you, Castle," she says, again.

"I love you, too," Castle replies. "Always."

**Please REVIEW!**


	5. Chapter 5

**This is just a tiny bit late but please enjoy anyway! **

**Prompt: Post "47 Seconds" Beckett confronts Castle.**

"You know, now that the case is done…what did you want to talk about?" Her heart is pounding in her ears as she looks up at him, expectantly, because she thinks she knows exactly what he wants to tell her…and she thinks she may finally be ready.

But the next word that comes out of his mouth nearly breaks her.

"Nothing." It's paired with a tight, fake smile (she can tell by the way his eyes don't light up like they usually do) and then he follows it up with: "Nothing important, anyway," and it takes all of her energy to keep her shoulders from drooping and that smile on her face. If he notices the slight strain in her face—and the pain—he doesn't say anything.

Instead, he excuses himself, with a parting, "Goodnight," making his exit almost too quickly. Kate watches him, calling out a goodnight of her own after him. She's about to sit down, to start paperwork and attempt to ignore feeling of squashed hope in her chest, when she realizes something.

"Goodnight," he'd said. Castle doesn't say goodnight. In all the years she's known him, he's almost never said those words to her; it's always been 'until tomorrow'.

It's then that she realizes that something is horribly wrong. It might seem stupid and unimportant to anybody else—the boys and Lanie included—but she knows Castle. She knows the reason he always said 'until tomorrow' is because it was more…_hopeful._ Was he not, anymore? Did he lose hope over this case? But they found the killer; shouldn't that have restored it? It usually does…

No, something is most _definitely _wrong and it probably has nothing to do with the case. At least, not directly. Otherwise, why wouldn't he have told her what he'd wanted to say before? What would have stopped him?

Kate's mind rewinds through everything that happened in the last 24 hours. Questioning witnesses, family members, suspects…her interrogation with Bobby Lopez…

Kate's eyes widen as her heart rate picks up, her mind going instantly back to that coffee cup she'd found after that very stressful and very…_informative _interview. And interview where she revealed…

"Oh no." The words are whisper-like when they come out of her mouth and, as she looks around, she's relieved to see that nobody has looked up at the sound. Standing she quickly gathers her things, promising herself that she'll finish the paperwork…later.

But right now she has to do some damage control.

She's caught a cab within ten seconds of getting outside and she gives the cabbie Castle's address, praying that he went home and not out to some bar. If he's not home, she'll check the Old Haunt. If he's not there…well, she'll put out a bolo until she finds him. They really need to talk.

When they get to his place, she tosses a fifty at the cabbie, not caring that the tip in that is twice as much as the fare as she runs up to his building. The doorman, Armand, greets her and lets her in, telling her that she just missed Mr. Castle. Kate breathes a sigh of relief and thanks him as she races to the elevator, taking it to the top floor—his floor.

She raps on the door twice and then fidgets nervously as she waits for an answer. The bright blue eyes that greet her are not his, however.

"Kate," Martha says, not out of greeting, but rather surprise.

Kate gives her a smile that's probably not as bright as it usually would be, but she's panicked. She needs to speak to Castle.

"Hello, Martha," she greets. "Is Castle home?" God, she feels like a teenager, asking a boy's mother if he can come hang out.

Martha nods, curtly, her eyes focused like lasers on Kate, making the younger woman feel very awkward and slightly unwelcome. "He is," the older woman replies, "but he's packing."

"Packing?" Kate asks, her heart in her throat. He's leaving New York? Leaving her? "Wh-where is he going?"

Martha shrugs. "Hell if I know," she replies. "He just came home and started throwing his things into a suitcase; said he was going away for the weekend. He's a grown man, so he can do what he wants." Kate nods.

"Can I speak to him?" she asks, hates how it mildly sounds like begging.

"I'd prefer it if you did, actually," Martha says, stepping aside. "Go gently on him, dear." Kate has no idea what that means, but she assumes it has something to do with what he'd heard earlier. Of course he'd tell his mother; who else would he share this with?

So she nods and walks past him, going straight for his bedroom, almost falling back as he appears in the doorway, suitcase in hand, his face slowly registering her presence.

"Beckett?"

Kate's heart clenches at gruff sound of her name on his lips. Oh, he's not happy; not happy at all.

She offers him an unsteady smile. "Hi, Castle," she says, her voice low and cautious. "Can we talk?"

She can see his defenses rise almost automatically. "Actually," he says, "I can't. I'm about to—"

"Please," Kate interrupts, staring into his usually warm baby blue eyes, which are now as hard and cold as steel. "I really need to talk to you."

Castle hesitates for a moment and she can see the internal struggle reflected in those beautiful eyes. Finally, he nods, turning and walking back into his room. He doesn't motion for Kate to follow, but she does anyway. She turns back to shut the door and catches Martha's concerned glance before the redhead turns and makes her way towards the stairs.

Kate sighs and allows the door to click silently behind her before turning to the man before her. Castle is staring at her with some kind of intensity in his eyes. Whether it is good or bad remains a mystery to Kate.

She sighs, taking a deep breath to calm her nerves before speaking.

"You heard me," she says. She doesn't need to clarify for him to nod, once, curtly.

"I did," he replies, his steely voice matching the coldness of his eyes as they focus on her. "And you heard me."

Kate nods. "I did," she says. The revelation is light a weight lifting off of her shoulders and she has to let out a breath after saying it. "I did," she repeats.

"Then why did you lie to me?" Castle growls at her. "I have asked you at least a hundred times since that day and every time," his voice cracks and he clears his throat, "every _damn _time, you have lied and said you didn't. Why? Where you too embarrassed for me? Because you didn't feel the same way and you didn't want to humiliate me? I'm a big boy, Kate; I can take it!"

Kate's eyes widen in shock, and then her head shakes rapidly. "No!" she exclaims. "That's not—you really think that little of me, Castle?" Her voice is angry now. Isn't _he _the one who claims he knows her _so well_? How could he—

"It's the only explanation I could think of!" Castle replies. "It's the only one that makes any sense! Because if you felt the same way, then why would you—"

"I was afraid!" Kate shouts at him and those simple words carry so much weight that she nearly drops to the ground underneath them, tears swimming to her eyes. "I was so afraid."

Castle façade cracks slightly as he looks down at the detective with concern etched in his eyes.

"Afraid of what, Kate? That I would leave you when I found out you didn't feel the same way? That things would be awkward between us? What were you so afraid of?" His voice is strained; tired.

Kate looks up at him, confused. Does he really not get it? Does he seriously not understand? The look in his eyes, so tired and guarded…she knows immediately that he doesn't. But how can he possibly not?

Without warning, Kate is closing the distance between them, taking three large steps towards him until she can cup his face in her hands and bring her lips to his, catching him so completely off guard that he's frozen beneath her lips. The kiss lasts only a few seconds and their mouths don't even open, but it leaves a feather-light feeling in Kate's chest as she pulls away, smiling softly up at him. Castle's eyes are still wide with shock and she snorts, unable to help herself as she pecks his lips.

Then Castle seems to snap out of it, his hands gently pushing her away from his lips. Kate lets out a slight groan at being denied, but gives him a moment to say what he needs to say, her eyes flicking back and forth from his lips to his eyes, desperate for another taste.

"Okay," Castle says, "you really need to stop that."

Kate gives him a slow smile. "Why, Castle?" she purrs. "Am I _distracting _you?" The look in his eye is confirmation enough and she snickers. He pouts at her and things are back to the way the used to be…you know, more or less…

"Kate," he practically whines. "You have to be serious for a minute, okay?"

Kate nods, still smirking. "Stop whining," she says, "and I will be."

He sticks his tongue out at her and it takes everything in her for Kate to resist the temptation and instead roll her eyes.

Castle schools his features before speaking. "Why did you lie?" he asks. "Why didn't you tell me you remembered?"

"I told you," Kate sighs. "I was afraid."

"I know," Castle replies, "but of what? What were you so afraid of, Kate?"

"You," Kate replies. "Me. The both of us. I…I didn't know if I was _ready _for a relationship. And I…I didn't want to ruin what we already had with my _baggage._ I couldn't risk it."

Castle's face softened immediately and he raised one large hand to cup her chin, raising it so that their eyes met. "You could have just told me," he whispered. "I would have understood; I would have given you the time you needed. I would have waited."

"But for how long?" Kate asked, her voice shaky. "How long would you have waited if you knew?"

"Knew what?" Castle asked. "That you heard me?" Kate shook her head.

"That I loved—_love _you. How long would you have waited then, Castle?"

The declaration makes his heart swell, but Castle tries to keep his face as calm as possible as he smiles down at her. "I would wait forever for you," he says, softly, gazing into her eyes. Kate searches his eyes, but they're firm on hers, and full of adoration and love. She smiles brilliantly up at him and kisses him again. This time, he readily accepts and reciprocates the kiss, wrapping his arms around her waist and lifting her slightly so that her feet are an inch off the ground.

When he places her back down and detaches their lips, nuzzling her nose a little before pulling back, unable to quell the happy grin on his lips. Kate's face looks somewhat the same.

"So," Kate says, softly, her eyes drifting to the suitcase, "where were you planning on going?"

Castle sighs, shrugging. "Vegas?" At Kate's raised eyebrow, he sighs. "I was hurt after I heard you tell that kid that you remembered everything and I…I just…I needed to get away."

"And you thought escaping to Vegas was the way to do that?" Kate snorts. "Don't you have a beach house or something?"

"It was too close," Castle says, honestly. "I'd be too tempted to come back too soon. At least in Vegas, I could drown my sorrows in a Casino and never know how long I've been there."

Kate's heart nearly breaks at that and she leans up on her tip toes, kissing his forehead. "Well, you don't have to do that, anymore," she whispers in his ear. "Because I'm not going anywhere. I'm ready for this, Castle. All I want is you."

He snorts. "You sound like Christina Aguilera," he says, grinning down at her, "only way hotter."

Kate rolls her eyes, but she can't keep the grin off of her face as she bites her lip. "So," she says, "are you still planning on leaving town?"

"Depends," Castle replies, looking down into her sparkling green eyes, "are you going to come with me?"

"To Vegas?" Kate laughs. "No. Too much temptation."

"To what? Gamble?" Castle asks and Kate laughs.

"To elope," she replies, immediately blushing at the look in his eyes.

"Would marrying me really be _that _bad?" he teases and she snickers.

"Not at all," she says, honestly. "But wh—_if _we ever decided to…_do that_, I would rather have everybody we loved there. You know, the whole nine yards; the dress, my dad walking me down the aisle, Lanie as my Maid of Honor…I want everything. I'm only going to do this, once, you know."

He grins. "I know. One and done, right? Is that me?"

Kate nods. "One and done," she agrees. He kisses her again and this time, they don't stop, moving towards the bed, hands frantically scratching at each other's bodies, trying to remove as much clothing as—

"Dad?"

They both freeze as Alexis's voice rings through the apartment like a bell, Kate's hands halfway through undoing Castle's belt and Castle's cupping her breasts underneath her shirt.

"Dad?"

Castle practically flies off of her as he works on straightening himself out. Kate does the same, standing and running her hands through her hair, in a desperate attempt to make it look presentable.

There's a sharp knock on the door two seconds before it opens and the teenager peers in.

"Dad, I—Detective Beckett?" Words cannot express the look of shock on Alexis Castle's face as she peers up at the detective—whom she has the utmost respect for—confusion etching her features. Kate, on the other hand, looks like a deer caught in the headlights.

"Hey, Pumpkin," Castle greets, bringing the girls focus to himself. "What's up?"

"Uh…I could ask you the same question," Alexis replies. "Gram told me that you packing to go on a trip somewhere."

"Oh," Castle says, looking over at Kate. "Yeah, well I…we…uh…"

Kate rolls her eyes, finally snapping out of it. "Your father invited me to the Hamptons for the weekend, Alexis. In fact, we're all going. It was _supposed _to be a surprise, but your father is about as subtle as a moose."

"Oh…why are we going to the Hamptons?" Alexis asks, confused.

"To get away from the city," Kate replies. "In light of recent events, it seems like a good idea to get away for a bit, you know? Are you in?"

Alexis smiles brightly. "Of course!" she exclaims. "I'll go pack!"

"Tell your grandmother, if you will," Kate calls after her. "We still haven't told her!"Alexis gives her a thumbs up and races up the stairs. When she's gone, Kate feels Castle wrap his arms around her waist.

"You're a genius," he says, "you know that?" Kate grins, blushing.

"It's nice to be reminded every once in a while," she says, turning in his embrace. She places a soft kiss on his lips, keeping it brief, knowing that the little redheaded bunny he calls his daughter could be back at any second. When she pulls back, he's grinning like a goof. "Now," she says, "perhaps _I _should go pack and call Gates to let her know I'll be out of touch for the next couple of days."

"I thought you weren't on call," Castle says.

"I'm not," Kate sighs, "but you never know." She attempts to move out of his embrace, but Castle doesn't relinquish the hold he has on her. "I need to go pack," Kate tells him but he's stubborn, his arms just as tight around her waist as they were before. She sighs.

"Would you like to come with me, Castle?" she asks. He grins.

"I thought you'd never ask," he says, allowing her to move out of his embrace before taking her hand in one of his and his suitcase in the other and pulling her towards the door. "We'll be back, Pumpkin!" he calls up the stairs. "Just gonna go pick up a few of Kate's things, okay?"

"Okay!" Alexis calls back. "Call me when you're outside."

"Will do," Castle says. "Love you!"

"Love you too!"

He grins back at Kate, who's giving him an odd look. "What?" he asks.

"Just seeing you be a dad is kinda…hot," Kate admits.

"Ha! I knew it turned you on!" Castle exclaims and Kate rolls her eyes, letting go of his hand.

"_And _you're back," she sighs, walking to the door. Castle starts to follow her, but his eyes soon land on her backside and seem to freeze there, one brow lifted as he openly admires her ass.

Kate turns back and rolls her eyes, again, when she sees what his eyes are glued to.

"You coming, Castle?" she asks. They're words she's said probably a thousand times before, but never had they elicited such an adorable smile in response. It lights up his entire face, reflects in his eyes like a thousand-watt bulb, and it's aimed right in her direction. Kate's heart swells at the sight; she could get used to this.

**Okay, so what did you think of that? The next prompt is Castle confronting Kate and it should be up in the next couple of days, I swear! Please review! **


	6. Chapter 6

**Okay so I've been having ideas about this all freaking day and I'm going for the 75,000 word thing for this ficathon so I might as well post as often as I can, right? Right. So here you go; enjoy!**

**Prompt: Post "47 Seconds" Castle confronts Beckett .**

After the boys leave with their excuses, Kate turns to Castle, who's been weirdly quiet all day. She gives him a smile, hoping it'll improve his mood.

"So," she says, "I guess it's just us."

He nods, grabbing his jacket to sling over his arm. "Yeah," he replies, not looking at her. She's noticed that he's also avoided looking at her all day. Something's not right. She tries to ignore it as she steps towards him, flashing him a hopeful grin.

"You know," she says, "now that the case is done…what did you want to talk about?" She searches his eyes, looking for the love that so often shines from them. It's there, but there's something _darker _there, as well.

He takes his time answering her, a war seemingly going on behind those beautiful blue eyes of his, before he nods, as if coming to a decision. "I'll tell you over drinks," he says, finally. "Old Haunt?" Kate gives him her winning smile and she could swear she sees a glint of hurt in his eyes, which thoroughly confuses her.

But, again, she ignores it, and settles for gathering up her purse and her jacket and following him to the elevator.

Their walk to the bar is a quiet one—not filled with the sarcasm-heavy quips they usually trade. Instead, there's this heavy awkwardness that fills every step. Kate wants to ask what's wrong, but she's afraid of the answer, so she stays quiet.

When they arrive at the bar, Castle greets his employees and the few regulars that have shown up tonight to drink and be merry. He tips the piano man heavily and orders a bottle of whisky and two glasses from the bartender, tipping him handsomely, as well.

Then he leads Kate towards his office, instinctively offering his hand to held her down the steep steps. She stumbles slightly and falls into him, huffing out a laugh as she looks up at him, watching the usual love and adoration warm his eyes for a few seconds.

But then it's gone and he rights her before letting go and turning on his heel, away from her. Kate sighs, wondering what happened; what did she do wrong?

When they enter his office, Kate sees that he's redecorated and cleaned it out, replacing most of the old furniture with new pieces that perfectly reflect his personality.

A maroon-red loveseat that looks incredibly comfortable and inviting; a couple of floor-to-ceiling bookshelves, stuffed with copies of incredibly old-looking books, which Kate would love to just go through, one by one; and a new oak desk with a Mac on it (she imagines he spends most of his time playing games on that thing, rather than writing). She smiles at him when he allows her to precede him into the room, making a beeline straight for the couch. She plops down and sighs; it's just as comfortable as she'd imagined. All she needed now was a good book and somebody to rub her sore feet and she'd be in heaven.

Castle takes his time closing and locking the door, so as not to be disturbed from the talk he knows they have to have, and joins her on the couch, placing the glasses down and pouring them each about three fingers of the whiskey. He hands Kate hers and she thanks him with a grin. He gives her a tight smile in return, before downing his drink, much to Kate's surprise.

She just sips at hers while he pours himself another glass, watching as he takes a large gulp, before hissing as the alcohol burns his throat. Finally, she can't take it anymore.

"Castle," she says, and he looks at her, his face as blank as a canvas. It worries her. "What's wrong?"

"What's wrong?" he chuckles, mirthlessly, setting the glass back down on the table. "You know, Kate, I pride myself on my honesty. Now, does that mean I never lie? No, of course not. Everybody lies. But I almost _never _do and I would _never _lie about something this…_serious_."

Kate's eyes widen as he turns to her, his own nearly black with rage. The thought that invades her mind cycles like it's on a loop.

_He knows he knows he knows he knows he knows he knows he knows…_

"Castle," Kate stutters, "I—"

"Why did you do it, Kate?" Castle interrupts. "Why did you lie about something so…so _important_? All these months I've been following you around, thinking, 'I'll tell her again when she's ready; I'll tell her and this time she'll hear me and maybe…' but I was just kidding myself, wasn't I? Because you already heard and you obviously didn't feel the same way."

He takes a swig from the bottle this time, while Kate just gapes at him.

_What the fuck is he talking about? Does he really think…Oh my God, he thinks that I don't—_

"Castle!" Kate exclaims, snatching the bottle out of his hand and holding it out of his reach, even though they both know that he could overpower her at any second and take it, if he wanted to. But he just waits, his eyes, which are now slightly unfocused, trained on her.

"What are you talking about?" she asks, softly; firmly.

"You know damn well what I'm—"

"No," Kate replies, shaking her head. "No, I mean…what makes you think I didn't feel the same way? That I still don't?"

Castle's face suddenly drops, his eyes widen. "I…what?" His dumbfounded expression makes Kate grin lovingly at him.

"You know," she says, "I used to think you were a genius. Now, you're just…oblivious." His face doesn't change, but she can see his shoulders droop, the warmth in his eyes returning, slowly, but surely. So she leans towards him, dropping the bottle onto the coffee table, pushing herself onto her knees on the cushion. She reaches out, cupping his cheeks in her soft palms, her thumbs running soothingly over the stubble that's collected in the last couple of days. She's missed that stubble. "You stupid, wonderful man," she whispers. "How could you think that I didn't love you? How could you even imagine—"

Her words are cut off by his lips on hers, his tongue invading her mouth at once, his body wrapping around her, pushing her back with the force of his emotions, which he pours into that kiss. Kate moans against his lips, her arms wrapping around his neck, one leg wrapping itself around his hip, allowing him to press his into the apex of her thighs.

When he pulls back for air, he's panting, his bright, happy blue eyes sparkling down at her. "I love you," he gasps. "I love you so much."

Kate's eyes fill with tears. "I love you, too," she croaks out. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner."

"You're always worth the wait," he gasps. "Always."

**Okay, so this one was a little shorter than the last, obviously, but I hope you liked it anyway. Please REVIEW!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Okay, so I've been lacking a tiny bit. Here's the next prompt (still 47 seconds oriented).**

**Prompt: "47 Seconds"—Beckett knows that Castle is listening in on the interrogation.**

She can hear the muffled sound of the door in Observation opening and closing as she talks to Bobby Lopez, and knows that neither of the boys has left the room, which means…

Castle is here.

She forces back the happy grin that threatens to break free, keeping a straight face as she stares the suspect down, trying to make him feel as small as a freaking bug. But he's not breaking; he's pulling that damn memory card on her, trying to convince her that he doesn't remember anything—that he doesn't remember where he was when the bomb that killed _five fucking people _went off.

Bull shit. That may have worked on her a year ago, when she didn't have a scar that pulled _constantly, _reminding her every single day what she went through, what she experienced—hell, what she was _still _experiencing—all the emotions that plagued her day after day, when she had to lie to that sweet, silly man's face and tell him that she never heard his declaration of love as she was dying in his arms…

No more. She decided right there, while staring Bobby Lopez in the eyes, that she would not continue to lie to the man she…the man she loved. She'd known it was true since before she was shot, long before, but she'd been with someone, and then…then Montgomery had died and she didn't want him to think that she was just acting on grief.

After she woke up and started having flashbacks, she also began doubting the truth behind his words, worried that he was just saying them out of grief, as well, afraid of losing her. But then he'd come by her room, with flowers and a hopeful, _loving _look on his face as he smiled at her.

And she knew.

But she couldn't be with him; not yet, anyway. She needed some time to recover from…everything. Every damn thing that she went through; every piece of baggage that she's carried for the last 14 years; she needed to recover so that they could be together the way she wanted them to.

But now…this was the hundredth time in the past four years that she's been reminded of her own mortality; that she's been reminded how fucking _fragile _life is. And, she decided, she couldn't wait any longer. She had to tell him. And it looks like she was going to have to do it now.

Turning back to Bobby, she pushed harder, letting him know that she wasn't buying the bull he was selling her. But he insistently stuck to his story.

"I don't believe you!" Kate bellowed at him, getting up right close and personal as he attempted to blame, for the tenth time, traumatic amnesia. This was going to be the moment she finally told the truth; she just knew it. Kate took a deep breath and looked up at the mirror, staring hard, hoping to meet Castle's eyes; hoping to convey how sorry she felt for what she'd done; what she was about to do.

She took another deep breath and turned back to Bobby, speaking lower, but far more firm and deadly, getting into his face as she said, in a clear voice, "You wanna talk trauma? _I _was shot in the _chest._ And I remember every _second._" She let those words sink in for a moment, before she continued. "So don't give me your bullshit stories about 'traumatic amnesia'. You haven't experienced real trauma yet. Now, tell me what I need to know."

Her back was rigid as the young man confessed to the happenings after he'd dropped the backpack, what he'd seen and remembered; he wasn't the killer—he had no idea there was a bomb in that bag—but he led them to the person who did, and that was enough. For now.

Now it was time to face the music.

**CBCBCBCBCB**

"_I remember every second."_

Those words echoed in his ears, over and over again. He barely registered the rest of the interrogation and practically jumped out of his skin when Ryan clapped him on the shoulder.

"You okay, Castle?" the shorter man asked, concern etched in those baby blue eyes. Castle nodded, swallowing thickly.

"Yeah," he lied. "I'm fine."

Ryan's concern didn't diminish, but the man nodded, content with the answer, before leading Castle out.

The writer was about to make an excuse to leave when _her _voice fluttered through his sub-conscience. He turned, coming face to face with those hauntingly beautiful green-hazel eyes. They were searching his, much like they'd searched _for _his (he's sure of it now, but hadn't dared to hope when she'd glanced up at the two-way during the interview, convinced that she was about to send a silent signal to Ryan or Espo; but none came) during that damned interview.

He knew right then that it had been a confession; what she'd said in that small boxy room, her eyes attempting to lock on his unseen ones.

"Castle." It was just his name, but it had never sounded quite that way on her tongue before. Somehow, it was more…meaningful.

He forced his voice to stay steady, despite the urge to yell at her, or to cry at her—there were so many feelings swirling inside his stomach that it was hard to keep them all straight.

"Yes?" he asked, internally patting himself on the back for the firm, emotionless reply.

"Can I speak to you for a second?" she asked, her eyes leaving him to glance at the boys, who were attempting to look like they were working—actors, they were not. "Alone," she clarified.

"I don't know," he said, "I think I may have to—"

"Please," she said, her voice breaking ever so slightly. Her eyes were now pleading with him. "It's very important."

One look into those watery green orbs and he was a goner. His backbone always dissolved where the women in his life were concerned. Especially this one.

Dammit.

"Okay," he finally, acquiesced, and he could see a small ray of joy radiating from her that just lit his heart on fire, if only for a second. She motioned for him to follow her, leading him straight into the empty break room (surprising considering the amount of enforcement working this case). She allowed him to enter the room before her and heard, rather than saw, her lock the door, the lock clicking in place.

He turned just in time to see her close the blinds, allowing them total privacy.

When she turned back to him, he could see the apprehension in her eyes, but he didn't mention it. He didn't say anything, just waiting for her to speak.

"You heard," she said, just loud enough for him to hear.

"So did you," he replied easily. He didn't have to embellish; she knew what he meant.

"Yes," she confirmed. She was not going to deny it anymore; it had been too long.

"How long ago did you regain your memory?" he asked, still hopeful that she hadn't been lying for _that _long. But her next words nearly broke him.

"Since before that day…before you visited me in the hospital." The words were painful coming out of her mouth and she saw him wince as the truth hit him, full force. "I'm so sorry, Castle…"

His fists and teeth both clenched at that and he had to get himself in check before he replied, giving her a fake smile.

"It's fine," he lied through his teeth. "I understand."

"You do?" Kate asked, unbelievingly.

Castle nodded. "You don't feel the same way," he said, simply, forcing himself to shrug, as if it were no big deal. "It's okay; I understand."

"What?" Kate gasped, watching with a gaping jaw as he walked across the room, priming to exit.

"It's fine, Beckett," he insisted. "I totally understand; I made you uncomfortable with my…_declaration _and I apologize. It won't happen again, I swear."

"Castle," Kate said, shaking her head. "That's not—"

"Really," he said, stopping her, "I'm okay. Now, if you'll excuse me…"

He reached for the lock on the door, but Kate delivered a sharp slap to his hand, causing him to rear back, his eyes wide as he stared at her in shock. Her eyes were livid, glaring straight into his, her face reddening—but definitely not out of embarrassment.

"You. Fucking. _Idiot," _she growled. Castle's eyes grew wider, and wider still as she raised one fist between them, causing him to flinch as he waited for the inevitable blow…

But it never came.

Instead, her fist closed around one of his lapels, pulling him violently towards her until their lips slammed together, causing him to gasp at the feeling of her tongue almost immediately invading his mouth, her moan reverberating throughout his mouth, his own involuntarily echoing it.

It took him less than two seconds to melt into the kiss, his arms wrapping around her shoulders and waist, pulling her flush against his body. Kate moaned again, and he could feel her smile against his lips, felt her hand release the fabric of his suit jacket and snake around his waist, the other rising to rub his cheek, gentle and incredibly soft hands feeling his skin.

It may have been hours or days or weeks…or just a few moments before they pulled away, and Castle would never have been able to tell the difference, nor would he have even cared. Because the way she was looking at him right now…well, if his breath wasn't already a distant memory, he may have just lost it again. They were both gasping as they gazed into each other's eyes, their faces flushed and wide, happy grins splitting their faces.

Unable to resist, Kate leaned in once more and placed a soft, chaste kiss on his plump lips.

"Do you understand now?" she said, at last. "I mean _really_ understand?"

"No," Castle admitted, "but I'd be willing to listen…for real, this time."

Kate sighed. "For a writer, you sure know jack about subtext."

Castle chuckled at that, his forehead lowering to press against hers. "You have such a way with words, Detective," he said, affectionately, before he sobered. "I'm sorry, Kate," he said. "I'm so, so sorry; I shouldn't have just assumed…"

Kate shook her head. "No," she said, "I should have been honest with you from the beginning; I never should have lied. I…I don't even know why I did. I just…I'm sorry."

"We're both fucking imbeciles," Castle laughed and Kate joined him, shaking her head.

"We really are," she sighed, gazing into his eyes. "But we can…learn, can't we?"

Castle nodded. "Yeah," he said, "we can."

"Good," she said, "because I love you, Richard Castle, and I really don't want to screw things up again, by being an im—"

Castle cut off her sentence with his lips on hers, his hands moving boldly into her hair, short nails scratching her scalp, eliciting even more moans from the delectable woman in his arms. He wanted nothing more than to lift her onto that counter and—no.

They were in a precinct full of cops, working a mass homicide; now was certainly not the time. So, begrudgingly, he pulled back, smiling as Kate panted and searched for his lips, hers landing on his scratchy cheek instead. He nearly barked out a laugh as he felt her make a trail for his mouth.

"Kate," he said, pushing her back again, holding her at arm's length, moaning internally at the picture she created; with her lipstick-smudged lips and arousal-darkened eyes. He had half a mind to just—

No. _Focus, Castle._

"We have to stop this," he panted, "or this case is never going to get solved. And I don't think I could live with that; could you?"

Kate shook her head, slowly, her eyes practically glued to his lips, her tongue peeking out to wet her own bottom one. Castle didn't even try to hide the low groan.

"Stop that," he chastised and she gave him a sly grin, fluttering her eyelashes at him. He rolled his eyes, before letting out a gruff laugh. _When the fuck did we switch bodies?_ "Seriously, Kate, _focus._ Bobby Lopez, remember? What have you learned?"

Kate snapped back to reality. "You weren't listening?" she asked.

"I kind of lost focus after…you know." Kate nodded in understanding, giving him an apologetic look as she squeezed his hand.

"I'm sorry, Rick," she whispered. "For everything."

He shrugged. "What's done is done," he said. "You can't change the past; you just gotta try to make the future brighter. Now, what have you learned?"

Kate opened her mouth to answer, but was interrupted by Ryan (aka the perpetual cock block)'s voice. "You two alright in there?" he asked, through the door.

Kate and Castle shared a smile, before she answered, "We're fine, Ryan; we'll be right out."

There was a slight paused, then: "Okay." They waited until they could hear his and another person (most likely Espo)'s footsteps carrying them away.

"Why don't I let the boys fill you in?" she offered. "We've got a few new leads to go on, but it's gonna take some time to go through them all. And we should start on that soon."

Castle nodded. "Now would be a good time," he agreed, matching her smile. "Come on," he said, turning to unlock the door. Kate stopped him, turning him back around and planting her lips back on his, thoroughly surprising him—though not unpleasantly. He returned it just as passionately as he received, before she finally pulled back, biting her lip.

"Okay," she said, "now we can go. Just…" She swiped at his lips with the sleeve of her shirt, adorably, wiping the smudged pink lipstick from his lips. He smiled down at her, lovingly, before returning the favor.

"You might need to reapply it," he said, non-apologetically, "or people are going to notice."

Kate rolled her eyes. "Nobody's going to notice whether or not I'm wearing lipstick, Castle," she scoffed.

"You'd be surprised," Castle replied. Kate rolled her eyes again, before starting for the door. This time, Castle pulled her back. "What?" she asked, looking up at him.

"Nothing," he said, shyly, "I just…I love you, Kate Beckett." It was as a weight had been lifted off of his shoulders, being able to say those words aloud, finally, to her face.

Kate beamed up at him and pressed one last sweet kiss to his lips, before pulling back, her grin as wide as ever.

"I love you, too," she whispered. "Now, come on; we have a murder to solve." He grinned like a fool as he followed her out of the break room, right back into their world of justice and mayhem.

And he couldn't have been happier.

**I really hope you liked this one, because it's my personal favorite so far. Please REVIEW!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Okay so I need to get to at least 75,000 words by the end of August, so here goes.**

**Prompt: What if Jacinda hadn't shown up with Castle at the crime scene in "The Limey"**

Kate's hands felt clammy as she made her way to the crime scene, wondering if Castle would already be there or if he wouldn't even show up at all. With the way things were going between them, as of late, she wouldn't be surprised if he was a no-show.

But he was there; all six feet, three inches, and 200 pounds (give or take) of him. And he looked _awful_.

"Castle," she greeted, "what the hell happened to you?"

One eyebrow quirked and he gave her a sarcastic grin. "Nice to see you, too, Detective," he greeted back. She just continued to stare at him, bewildered and, eventually, he sighed. "I took a bit of a weekend trip to Las Vegas and…well, it didn't go very well."

"I can see that," Kate replied. His usually neatly pressed clothing was wrinkled and creased all up and down his body, there was a rip on the shoulder of his blazer, his hair was mussed (somewhat adorably, she must admit), and he was sporting what looked to be a two-day old beard—a look she hadn't seen on him since they'd first met.

"Are we going to stand here insulting me or is there a dead body waiting for us somewhere?" Castle asked, a tad shortly, and Kate internally winced, but allowed nothing to show on her face.

Instead, she reached for his arm, giving it a small squeeze and she could see his face change as a swirl of emotions seemed to flash in his features, all at once.

"Can we talk?" she said, softly, hopefully.

"Don't we need to go look at the body?" Castle replied, his voice a little strained.

"It can wait another two minutes," Kate said, brushing it off as she began to pull him away. He didn't even attempt to fight her, thankfully; just followed where she led, as always.

Kate caught Lanie's eyes from a couple feet away and the woman gave her a grin and two thumbs up, before returning to…whatever it was that she was doing with Javier. Kate made a mental note to ask about that later.

Now, she had Richard Castle, mystery writer, philanthropist, father, former playboy, and…the man she loved (it had taken her such a long time to admit that to herself) to contend with.

She found a rather secluded spot, where anybody could find them if they really needed to, but nobody would be able to 'accidentally' overhear any of what she was about to confess to this man, who'd been giving her the cold shoulder for the better part of a week.

"Okay," Castle said, slightly wrenching her hand off of his arm—a move that caused Kate pain that she couldn't even explain—and looking down at her, expectantly. "What did you need to talk about?"

She looked up into his eyes, which were lacking the warmth that they usually held when he'd regarded her before, and were now looking bored and a little apprehensive.

"I…" Kate took a deep breath. _You can do this, Beckett. Toughen up. Tell this fucker that you love him and that you wanna have his babies and—whoa, what? Isn't it a little too soon to be thinking abo—_

"Beckett?" Kate looked up, wide-eyed, and tried to suppress a blush at the direction in which her thoughts had been going. Castle was looking at her expectantly, still waiting for an answer—or anything, really—so they could get back to the task at hand (i.e. the murder).

Kate searched every corner of her mind for something to say—_anything _that would convey how important he was to her, how much she cared about him and never wanted to lose him for as long as she could help it. But words were failing her right now; _he _was the writer, not her. But, still, she had to force _something _out. Anything!

"I love you!" It was a like word vomit, spilling from her mouth. But instead of sour and disgusting, the words tasted almost…sweet. They made her heart suddenly feel lighter and a smile almost immediately quirked on her lips, followed by a tiny, happy giggle (geez, she hadn't giggled in _years_).

Castle's face, however, was the epitome of shock.

"You…you _what_?" he stuttered, his eyes full of wonderment at the pure joy she was radiating as the words finally, _finally_, slipped from her tongue.

"I love you," she repeated; more of a breathy statement and less of an exclamation. She stepped forward, lifting her hands to cup his cheeks. "I _love _you, Richard Castle."

Castle seemed to snap out of it in a matter of seconds, because suddenly his lips were slanting down on hers, tongue teasing at the seam of her mouth, begging for entrance, which Kate gladly gave, her arms winding around his shoulders, lifting herself up on her toes as he wrapped his own around her waist.

For half a second, Kate couldn't believe what she was allowing herself to do.

_We're making out at a fucking crime scene! This is so unpro—oh!_

Castle's lips and tongue and teeth drove all thoughts of anything that weren't about him and here and now right out of her head and she allowed herself to enjoy this breathtaking lip lock with the man that she _loved._

When, finally, the need for air became too much, she pulled her lips from his, smiling at the slight smacking sound they made and the way he continued to chase her lips.

"Castle," she whispered, placing a single finger between their lips, "we're at a crime scene?"

"Huh?" he asked, his foggy blue eyes still looking dreamily down on hers. Kate giggled—_again _with the giggling?—and softly turned his head so that he could see the cop cars and yellow tape that still littered this motel parking lot. "Oh," he sighed, "right." Kate snickered and kissed his rough cheek.

"We can continue this later," she promised, huskily in his ear. He grinned down at her and pressed their foreheads together, momentarily.

"I love you," he whispered, the words lighting up her heart. _God, when did I become so sappy?_ "We still need to talk about this," he added, after a moment.

Kate nodded. "I know," she said. 'Later." It was more of a promise than a statement. "But first," she turned towards the crime scene, squaring her shoulders, "let's go solve a murder."

Castle nodded, schooling his features as he followed her towards the scene, both of their hearts bubbling over with happiness.

Though neither of them let anybody else see it.

**Okay, so that was the shortest one so far, but I can guarantee the next one will be long as hell. Please REVIEW!**


	9. Chapter 9

**This one may just be my favorite because it allows for a lot of headcanon. It's also my least favorite because I have to do a lot of research (which means watching Castle, so not so bad) to keep in line with ACTUAL canon. Le sigh…enjoy!**

**Prompt 9 – Beckett fills a book with everything she knows about Castle. Post "Significant Others"**

She buys the book on her lunch break, when Castle is at home, writing (because if he doesn't get these next three chapters done, Gina has threatened to castrate him and Kate's still using that part). She grabs a coffee and a snicker doodle from the café (Castle and Lanie would _both _have a fit if they knew what she was eating as 'lunch') and walks straight over to the shelf where all the nice, leather-bound journals are kept.

It takes her twenty minutes to decide which one she wants (they're all so fancy and pretty), but she thinks the maroon-colored leather and gold-edged paper is the one that most reminds her of Castle; it would do him the greatest justice. So she buys it, and—just because Castle told her to—she name drops for a little discount.

Hey! No book without a good story already written in between the pages should cost more than twenty dollars.

It comes to fifteen dollars, which she can deal with.

The book fits perfectly in her purse, right next to the 99-cent pack of gummy bears that Castle buys her every now and then as a joke (because he knows just how sweet her sweet tooth is).

After that, she grabs a burger, fries, and a shake from Remy's and heads back to the precinct to fill out more paperwork.

Thankfully, her day will end at five—unless they get a case. Which they don't. Kate thanks whoever is responsible for _that _particular miracle. On her way out, she calls Castle to see if he's done writing for the day and he confirms that he is, and that he's already working on dinner if she wants to join him, Martha, and Alexis.

She does.

After dinner, while Castle cleans the kitchen (he'll never let her clean so long as she's worked a full day at the precinct, no matter if it's only paperwork), she cracks open the book and wonders where to start. She doesn't have much time and she really doesn't want him to see this—see her insecurities about _them_—because it's really not all that important. It's really not a big deal; she just wants to prove to herself—and _Meredith_—that she knows him just as well as he knows her. That's all. No big deal.

So she starts with what she's learned of his childhood, stories that both he and Martha have told her—when the matriarch was not trying to make it sound overly dramatic, and more so trying to embarrass her little boy.

_Richard Castle was born on April 1__st__, 1969._

_He had perpetual diaper rash, no matter how much baby powder and cream Martha used._

_He liked to streak…until he was seven. Everywhere._

_He once, at 18 months old, ran out, naked, on stage during his mother's off-Broadway production of The Music Man, where she was playing Marian the Librarian. She did not break character, though everybody else did._

_He has had a total of 27 nannies in a span of 14 years, none of which were American. Half of them didn't even speak English._

_Knows most curses in Russian, Spanish, German, Chinese, Italian, and Indian. He picked these up during childhood._

_Was suspended in first grade for peeing on a plant…indoors._

Kate smiles as she imagines a little Castle, getting into trouble as often as possible for a little boy. She remembers how hard she'd laughed when Martha told her these stories, how she'd leaned against Castle to keep herself from falling; how red he'd gone. God, he was adorable—his whole life, it seemed.

She hides the journal in her bedside table (he'd probably cleared it out for her after their first night together, because it seems that it was always _hers_) and smiles when he comes to her, covering her body without preamble and pressing tickling kisses anywhere he can reach, making her giggle and shriek as his fingers run over her ribs.

She forgets about the journal until morning, when she grabs it on her way out. Castle has a meeting with Paula, so they can go over his options for a possible summer book tour and talk about the renewal of his contract. He won't be in until noon, so they make plans for lunch.

She also smacks him for the _three hickeys _she finds as she brushes her teeth that morning, glaring at her from her reflection in the mirror. He just smiles and kisses her cheek, making her smile. She grabs a scarf and whips his ass with it before wrapping it around her neck and heading out, freshly made coffee in hand, and journal safely tucked away in her purse.

She takes the subway to work, fills out a few more things that she remembers him telling her during those lazy, post-coital conversations in bed. By the time the twenty minute journey is over, she's already filled 10 of the 150 pages of her book; they're small but that still counts for something, right?

She shoves it back into her purse as she enters the precinct, says hello to the boys, and tosses the empty coffee cup in the break room to wash later (she loves that he buys the re-washable ones) and heads to her desk, to finish off the rest of her paperwork, praying that they don't get a new case before lunch.

Again, they don't, and she has the inkling that somebody up there is looking out for her (she thinks fleetingly of her mom, but immediately brushes that thought away; no need for tears at work). It's only 11:30 when she finally signs her name on that last form and she has time to kill until she has to leave to meet him for Thai.

She takes out the journal, glancing up at the boys, who look like teenage boys cheating off of each other during a test, their eyes flicking to each other's forms as they work. She shakes her head at them as she starts to write.

_144. He was sent to boarding school at age 14 after his mother got a part in a play that would cause her to travel. He got kicked out of said boarding school after only six months. _

_145. He's been in over a dozen boarding schools and public schools, and has been kicked out of every one._

_146. He lost his virginity at the age of 16, to a girl named Eliza, whose last name he can't remember. _

_147. He met Kyra Blaine at the age of 18, right before they were going to go into college. Their relationship lasted three years._

Kate ignores the pang she feels at the thought of the woman who first held Castle's heart. Back before she'd even realized what her true feelings for him were, she'd almost lost him to Kyra, despite the fact that the woman claimed she was over him. Somehow, Kate couldn't see how anybody would ever just 'get over' Richard Castle.

But she's glad that Kyra did. And she's even more glad that Castle got over her.

"Kate!" She looks up to see Castle walking towards her desk, a large grin on his face as he approaches.

"Hey," she greets back, nonchalantly shoving the journal into her purse. "What are you doing here? I thought we were supposed to meet at the restaurant."

"We were," Castle confirms, "but I just wanted to drop by and say hello to the boys."

"Hey, Castle," they chorus, distractedly, still working on their paperwork.

"Please," Castle says, sarcastically, "don't look so happy to see me."

"Unlike you, we actually gotta work, bro," Esposito says, shooting him a glare.

"And unlike me," Kate adds, "you two were goofing around while _I _got my work done. And now you don't get a lunch break."

"What?"

"Hey!"

"Please, like nobody can see the Superman lunchbox you're always hiding in your desk, Espo. And everybody knows that Jenny is gonna drop by in, like, ten minutes to bring you a sandwich and a kiss, Ryan, so don't complain. And get back to work; Gates is glaring at you two, again."

"Montgomery wouldn't have made us work like dogs," Ryan huffs.

"Montgomery would have sat there, on your desk, and stared you down until everything was finished," Kate corrects. "Now hurry up and _maybe _we'll bring you some egg rolls." They give her looks and she just laughs, dragging Castle out after her.

Later, after lunch and teasing and a little making out where nobody from the precinct (namely Gates) can see them, they return to work and spend most of the time just _waiting _for something exciting to happen or to be let loose.

By three, Castle leaves to go start on dinner for the night, letting her know, discreetly, that they will be alone for dinner tonight, because Alexis is back at school and Martha has a night class.

She spends the rest of her time at work filling out as much of the journal as possible, eventually working her way up to the time they met, after a long list of stories he told her about raising a daughter as a single father (and just how awkward it is to explain the birds and bees and menstruation). Then she gets into the stuff that she's known since she met him.

_347. He is arrogant, cocky, goofy, playful, funny, sweet, and somewhat sensitive. He can be selfish sometimes, but it's a rare occasion._

_348. He is loving and insecure and loves a good story; even tells some of his own._

_349. He loves to play pranks on everybody (except Gates, because he knows that she's the only one who'd actually kill him)._

_350. He hates cabbage with a passion. There's no explanation for it; he just hates it and wishes that there were no such thing._

_351. He loves his family._

_352. He loves me._

She wants to stop right there, even though there's at least a dozen pages left in the book. He used to tell her about endings and how it was difficult sometimes to know whether you should keep writing, even after a really well-punctuated line, or whether it's worth it to let it go on for a few more pages, and perhaps find an even better line.

She thinks about that as a metaphor for their relationship (sappy, yes, she knows) and how there are so many things that could have ended their relationship—hell, ended their _lives_—but they kept going; kept holding on. She hopes they'll have a lot of these (pages, days, years, decades) before their last line comes up. She hopes they never have to make the decision to leave each other, that they're with each other, in every way possible, until the end.

They've only been together as a couple for about eight months, but already Kate can't imagine not seeing him, not kissing him, not making love to this beautiful man for the rest of her life.

And one day she'll tell him all this; one day when she's not waiting for the other shoe to drop or wondering if they're going to make it. One day she'll just _know_.

_But today_, she thinks as she looks up at the clock, _today I'm just going to focus on getting home for dinner. _

She packs away the journal, makes a promise that she'll show it to him one day soon, let all her insecurities out in the open, because she knows that he'll be able to help her with them.

She thinks it's appropriate that the book ends with his love for her, because, she realizes, that's all that really matters.

Isn't it?

**REVIEWS please!**


	10. Chapter 10

**My next prompt! I'm still a ways from my goal, but here goes! **

**Prompt: "Embarrassment of Bitches" Royal chooses Kate.**

Words could not describe the surge of joy that rushed through Kate as Royal trotted towards her, snuggling himself right into her open arms and licking her cheek while Kate laughed. Rick, however, pouted childishly at them.

"Man's best friend, my ass," he grumbled. Kate laughed, giving Royal one more pat on the head before standing, the dog sitting obediently at her feet.

"Cheer up, Castle," she said, "I'll let you visit him; might even have him trained as a police dog so I can bring him into the precinct."

"Really?" Castle asked, his face brightening. Kate nodded, smiling.

"Gates loves him," she informed him. "Even suggested replacing you with him." That makes the smile drop from him face, the pout returning. Kate laughed. "Did you expect anything different?" she asked him. He shrugged, a small smile reappearing.

"So I can really come visit him?" he asked. "Anytime I want?"

Kate nodded. "So long as you call first," she confirmed.

"So…tonight then?" he asked, hopeful.

"That depends," Kate replied, gathering up her things; it was already well past quitting time and the paperwork could wait until she got her new pet all settled in.

"On what?" Castle asked and Kate could practically see his ears perk up.

"You gonna cook us dinner?" Kate asked, teasingly, slipping on her coat.

"I'll have to run to the grocery store first," Castle replied, obviously not picking up on her teasing tone. "But how does pasta sound? I think I have some leftover meat sauce in my fridge from the other night and I think Stop & Shop is having a sale on—"

"Castle," Kate laughed, interrupting him, "I was kidding. Of course you can come over."

He smiled brightly at her and the sight made her heart skip a beat. She attempted to ignore the stirring in her abdomen as she clipped Royal's leash on and grabbed her purse, saying goodbye to the boys as she led both her pet dog and pet writer out of the precinct.

Not wanting to squeeze together in a cab, she elected to walk the dozen or so blocks to her apartment, in order to give Royal his daily bit of exercise. She wondered how well he would do once she started taking him on her morning jogs and decided that they'd find out the next morning.

Castle kept pace with her and even offered to pay for take out on the way to her place—which she denied and paid for her own food, as well as a treat for Royal.

When they finally arrived at the apartment, she let Royal off the leash and the big dog automatically went for the couch, spreading his exhausted limbs over the cushions, tail wagging lazily.

Okay, maybe they should have taken a cab, she thought belatedly as the dog immediately fell asleep.

"Aren't big dogs supposed to have a lot of energy?" Castle laughed, carrying the take out bag to the table.

"He woke up pretty early," Kate replied. "Made me take him out before I'd even had my coffee."

"Ooh," Castle said, wincing, "I'm surprised his pelt isn't hanging on your wall."

"Eh, it was probably my fault for forgetting to take him out last night; we were both just so tired."

"Understandable," Castle replied. "At least he's potty trained."

"Not yet," Kate replied, grinning. "Gotta teach him how to sit on the toilet first."

"Wha—oh!" Castle laughed. "Good one, Beckett."

She beamed at him and it was then that he realized they were standing a little too close. He cleared his throat, stepping away to give her some space.

"Wine?" he asked.

"Isn't it _my _job to offer _my _wine?" Kate laughed.

Castle shrugged. "Is that a no?" Kate rolled her eyes.

"Red, please," she said, taking out the containers of food; shrimp and broccoli for him, Mushu pork for her, and a large fried rice for them to share, as well as pork and veggie dumplings for the table. She'd gotten an order of dry beef wontons for Royal, but it seemed as if the dog would have to wait for his food. She filled his bowl for him before returning to the table, where Castle had placed a glass of wine by her plate, which he had dished out her food on.

They talked as they ate, about menial things. Castle made plans to go with Kate to the pet store, so they could buy Royal some more toys and a proper bed, despite the fact that he'd spent the night at the foot of Kate's, keeping her feet warm.

"I also have to enroll him in some course," Kate sighed, "for police dogs. He's a little bit older than most beginners but he's a good dog; he'll catch on quickly."

"He's already got the drug-sniffing thing down," Castle pointed out and Kate nodded in agreement.

The rest of the meal was eaten in comfortable silence.

When they were completely stuffed—both having stolen food from each other's plates as well as eating their own—Kate went to wake up the still sleeping dog while Castle gathered the leftovers to throw into the fridge. He also took the liberty of clearing everything that looked 'furry' to him, washing his hands thoroughly afterward.

He smiled when he felt Royal nudge him with his nose by way of greeting, before watching the dog scarf down the food in his bowl and lap at his water dish.

"Wow," Castle said, "you're hungry."

Kate laughed as she reentered the room—though he hadn't even noticed her absence—wearing a pair of sweats and a tank top.

"He's a total garbage disposal, right?" she said. "Ate half my lunch."

"_Ka-ate_!" Castle whined. "_You _were supposed to eat _all _of it!"

"Sorry," Kate replied, shrugging her shoulders as she plopped down onto the couch. "But he was giving me those 'puppy dog' eyes and you know how well those work on me."

"They never work when I do them," Castle complained.

"You're not a puppy dog," Kate said as Royal finished his dinner and came trotting over to her, settling his head on her lap. Kate beamed down at him, scratching his ears and his tail wagged slowly. "Don't fall asleep just yet, baby," she said, loud enough for Castle to hear and be shocked by the sweet term of endearment. "You still gotta take your walk."

"I'll take him," Castle suggested, grabbing Royal's leash.

"It's okay," Kate said, standing up and stretching. Royal echoed her movements in his own canine fashion. "I've got it."

"I insist," Castle said, calling Royal to him and clipping on the obedient dog's leash. "Besides, I've got my jacket _and _shoes on. Where are yours?"

Kate slipped into a pair of dark gray slippers and disappeared into her bedroom, coming out with a rather large hoodie, causing Castle's eyes to widen.

"Hey!" he exclaimed. "That's mine!"

Kate grinned at his whiny tone, pulling the warm sweater closer to her body. "Not anymore," she said, sticking her tongue out at him. Castle narrowed his eyes.

"How did you even get that?" he asked.

"Last week," Kate informed him. "Remember? We went jogging? You threatened to rip all your clothes off and throw yourself into the lake in Central Park because you were so hot?"

Castle's eyes widened at the memory. "And you offered to carry my sweater all the way back to my loft," he said, nodding. "Now, I remember…why'd you take it?"

Kate had already mentally prepared herself for this question and she carefully schooled her features. "Because," she said, "I only had a long-sleeved t-shirt and it was freezing once I no longer had the adrenaline running through my veins. I figured you wouldn't missed it; you know, since you practically passed out on your kitchen floor."

"And you just left me there!" Castle accused.

Kate shrugged. "Your mother said not to worry about it; that it happened every time you did any physical activity whatsoever."

"That is _so _not…okay, maybe that's a little true," Castle conceded. "Can I have it back?"

"Not a chance," Kate scoffed, grabbing the leash from him.

"Why not?" Castle whined. "That's my favorite sweater!"

"Because," Kate replied, "it's soft and warm; damn, rich people have nice stuff."

"I got it from Target," Castle told her.

"Liar," Kate replied, allowing Royal to tug her into the elevator. "This is like 1000-thread cotton; most likely from Barney's or Macy's or something."

"So, basically what you're saying is, I'm never getting that back?"

"Never," Kate said, grinning as she and Royal stepped off the elevator, missing Castle's soft smile as he followed close behind.

Kate felt his hulking presence as they walked around the neighborhood, smiled as he instantly got closer every time a stranger passed by or even looked at her. She saw his tight smile when a man had the audacity to leer at her as he passed—and she sent him her own glare, for good measure.

When they were halfway through their walk, Royal finally decided to stop by a tree to lift his leg and they paused, looking away while he did his business.

Well, Kate did, anyway, and found herself nose to nose with Castle, who'd stopped short before colliding with her. Their eyes widened and they stopped breathing for a moment, their hearts stuttering in their chests, which were pressed together, beating in sync. Slowly, one of Castle's hands rose, pushing a stray lock behind her ear, his breath catching again as he felt her lean against his hand, his other hand clenching against the fabric of her—his—hoodie.

He leaned in slowly, their lips nearly touching when, suddenly, Kate jolted out of his embrace, leaving him wide-eyed and hurting slightly. Kate kept her head turned towards him as Royal pulled her away, apology etched in her eyes as she followed her dog.

He chuckled slightly as he followed them down the street and around the next corner, wrinkling his nose when he saw Royal starting to squat in an alley. Kate sent him a look and a pout as she pulled out a plastic bag. He laughed, taking it from her, ignoring the spark her touch sent up his arm.

"Allow me," he said, leaning down to pick up the dog's waste.

"What a gentleman," Kate laughed, watching his face screw up as he picked it up, tying the bag tightly as he threw it into the nearest trash bin. He stuck his tongue out at her as he took out a pocket-sized hand sanitizer, squeezing a healthy dollop onto his hand before offering it to Kate, who took some as well, thanking him.

When their hands were clean, they walked the rest of the way to Kate's building in silence. When they arrived, Kate unlocked her front door, allowing Royal in before her, before turning to Castle, intent on asking him if he'd like to come up. But, before she could, his lips were on hers, his body pressing in until her back hit the wall of the foyer, just inside the building, Royal looking up at them, waiting patiently to continue up the stairs.

Kate's heart soared at the feeling of his lips on hers, his arms winding around her waist as he pushed her further against that wall, his body pressing insistently against hers. Kate let out a tiny moan against his lips, her hips undulating against the thigh that he pressed between her legs. She moaned and he growled, his teeth nipping her bottom lip, sucking on it.

When they came up for air, Kate was panting, her head leaning back against the wall as she studied her face from beneath half-lidded eyes. His face was flushed, his eyes dark and his hair mussed—most likely from her hands, which she hadn't even noticed she'd been running through it. He looked adorably flustered and the sight made her heart soar.

Finally, he'd done it; he'd made his move. And while, just minutes ago, she'd been able to convince herself that she wasn't yet ready for this—for them—she found herself wanting, desperately, to dive headfirst into whatever they could be together—baggage and all.

"I love you," he gasped, suddenly, his face draining of color almost immediately as Kate's eyes widened at the declaration.

And, to her delight, he didn't even attempt to backtrack; no taking it back or adding any lame clarifications, whatsoever; just a plain, old declaration of his love. Kate's smile spread slowly on her lips, stretching her facial muscles to the point of pain, but she barely felt it, her eyes focused on his.

"I love you, too." It was barely even a whisper, but from the way his face lit up, you'd think she screamed it from the rooftops. In less than a second, he was pulling her back to him, locking their lips once more. Kate wrapped her arms against his neck, her leg hooking around his thigh, once again starting to climb his body, getting carried away by the feeling of his lips against hers.

They were interrupted by a very insistent bark, which caused them both to turn in Royal's direction, lips smudged with Kate's lip gloss. The dog whined and tapped his front paws, beckoning them to continue towards Kate's apartment. They shared a shy look before Castle pulled away, still grinning as he laced their fingers together, the too-long sleeve of Kate's—his—sweatshirt covering his fist, not that he cared. Kate picked up the leash that she dropped and led both him and Royal into the elevator, her knees far too weak for the stairs.

**Please REVIEW!**

**Also, I haven't gotten the chance to say this and it really doesn't relate to Castle but R.I.P Robin Williams; you were a big part of my childhood and it feels so surreal to know that you are gone.**

**And to all my readers: if you're hurting, please TELL SOMEBODY. I'm right here to listen if you need me. I'll always be right here. You can reach me through here or through Tumblr (user cassbones) or Twitter ( Cassie_Bones). I'm here for you; just please don't go away. It gets better, I swear.**


	11. Chapter 11

**Next prompt!**

**Prompt: "Cops and Robbers" Castle is injured in the explosion.**

"Castle!" Kate's shouts echoed as she led the team through the smoky bank interior, her heart pounding so hard that she was surprised that it wasn't echoing off the walls. "Castle!"

"Katherine!" A female voice; Martha. Kate's heart leapt at the sound; so they were alive! But why wasn't Castle…

"We're over here!" Kate and the rest of the team followed the sound, straight to a vault, where they could just make out the red-haired woman through the smoke and dust and metal bars that caged them in. She was partially obscured by a figure slumped over her.

"Castle!" Kate exclaimed, rushing into the vault, dropping to her knees in front of them. Martha was stroking his head and Kate could just make out the faintest groan.

"He hit his head," Martha informed her. "The explosion must have startled him; it startled me, too. I'm sure he'll be just fine." Kate nodded, forcing back the tears that threatened to fall; both from worry and pure elation that he was alive.

Quickly, Kate cut off the zip ties around their wrists and helped Martha to her feet, before she and another officer used smelling salts to rouse Castle. He was groggy and almost immediately started complaining of a headache, but at least he was alive.

Kate supported him as they made their way out of the bank, reveling in the feeling of his body so close to hers—so warm and inviting and, again, _alive._

Alexis met them on the other end of the police tape and, at Kate's insistence, supported Castle's other side as they walked him to a grouping of ambulances, setting him down in one so the paramedics could have a look at him. Seeing that he was well-taken care of, Kate nearly stepped away, only to be pulled back by Castle's hand on her wrist.

He pulled her back towards him, wrapping his arms around her in a hug.

"Thank you," he whispered in her ear, and Kate could no longer stop the tears from falling.

"I thought I lost you," she whispered, choking slightly on her words. He held her tighter.

"Never," he promised, before placing a kiss to her forehead, causing her to blush.

"Hey, Beckett!" Espo called out as he and Ryan approached. "I think we found something."

Kate took a seat next to Castle as she listened to them, Alexis and Martha hovering on his other side as the paramedics checked over Castle and his mother's reflexes. He was told to watch for signs of a concussion and to try and stay awake for as long as possible to make sure he didn't have a concussion. Martha was given a clean bill of health.

And, in true Castle fashion, even with the head injury, he helped lead them to their killer/mastermind. Hours later, after all had been said and done, he invited Kate to his home for dinner, to thank her for not giving up on him.

He then apologized when they arrived at the loft only to find that _Martha _was the one who'd done all the cooking. Kate rolled her eyes, nudging him with her elbow as she followed Martha into the kitchen for a glass of wine. Castle, meanwhile, disappeared to speak to his daughter and make sure everything was alright on that end.

When he returned, Kate handed him a glass of water and he pouted.

"No wine?" he asked. She shook her head.

"You have a concussion, Castle," she pointed out. "Drinking wine will just make it harder for you to stay awake, don't you think?"

He sighed. "True," he acquiesced, "but that doesn't mean I have to like it." Kate rolled her eyes, raising her glass. "And I just remembered," he added, "I never got the chance to properly thank you for saving my life back there."

Kate smiled shyly, fighting a blush. "No need, Castle," she replied. "We're partners; it's what we do."

"Some more than others," he added, about to clink their glasses. At the last second, Kate pulled hers away, giving him a look.

"What's that supposed to mean?" she asked.

"Just that I saved your life nine times and you've only saved mine eight," he replied, with a nonchalant shrug.

Kate's look was incredulous now. "Okay," she said, an unbelieving grin on her face, "first of all; I cannot believe that you are keeping score. And there is no way that you've saved my life more than I've saved yours. Nine times? Please!" With that, she turned on her heel, making her way towards the dining room table, where Martha was already serving the food, as Castle began to regale her with the tales of his heroism—and hers.

By the time dinner was over, he and Beckett were going over whether or not him knocking her down in front of that bullet at Montgomery's funeral was a save or not. He felt it was, considering what could have happened.

"I still got shot, Castle," Kate pointed out, ignoring the ache in her chest at the mention. If he could talk about this without flinching, then so could she.

Castle's heart wasn't faring much better, but he felt that if Kate was comfortable enough to talk about it, then he should be too.

They quickly moved on from it, after Kate gave him the point, on the technicality that at least he tried.

When she stood to leave, Castle practically tugged her back down.

"Where are you going?" he asked.

"Home," Kate replied, as if it were obvious. "I'm exhausted."

"But I need somebody to stay up with me," he replied, on a whine.

"What about Martha?" Kate suggested. "Or Alexis?"

"Mother has a meeting with the banker tomorrow," Castle informed her, "and Alexis has school. Besides, she just broke up with Ashley and I don't want to make her any more miserable by having her stay up with me."

"So you want to make _me _miserable then?" Kate asked, smiling wryly.

"I'll help you do paperwork for this case," he offered, failing to hide a disgusted look at the mere thought of paperwork. Kate laughed, smiling fondly down at him.

"Fine," she said. "I'll stay. But you owe me _big _time for this."

"As you wish," Castle replied, hoping that she'd get the reference.

She did. But she tried not to show it as she helped Castle clean the table of all dishes.

When they were finished, they retired to the couch with their drinks—Kate allowed Castle a single glass of wine that he planned to cherish—and started flipping through the channels.

"Over a thousand channels and nothing to watch," Castle lamented, his thumb practically glued to the 'channel up' button. Kate rolled her eyes, before snatching it away from him and flipping, more leisurely, through the channels, her eyes lighting up as she paused on a special 'WE' presentation of…

"'The _Notebook'_?" Castle said, with no small amount of disgust in his voice. Kate glared at him.

"Yeah," she said, "what's wrong with that?"

"Nothing!" he assured her. "I mean, it's an okay movie, but…there's just no action in it!"

"No action?" Kate scoffed. "Castle, Noah nearly kills himself to get Allie to go out with him!"

"And emotionally manipulative, too," Castle added, smartly.

Kate rolled her eyes. "It's romantic," she said, hitting his arm. "I can't believe Alexis and Martha never made you watch it."

"Oh, they did," Castle replied. "At _least _a dozen times. Never really took to it."

"Well," Kate said, settling back into the couch, "it's just starting; maybe thirteenth time's the charm."

Castle groaned, pouting and crossing his arms over his chest. "Fine," he groused. "But can we at least have some popcorn to go with it? And more wine?"

Kate gave him a look. "Popcorn; yes," she said. "Wine; no."

"Please?" he whined. "Just one more glass." Once upon a time, Kate might have been able to resist those puppy dog eyes; no more.

"Half a glass," she wagered.

"Deal," Castle sighed, downing the glass in his hand before standing. Kate pressed 'pause' (gotta love DVR) and followed him, making certain that he didn't take too much, and helped him make popcorn, as well as dig into his candy stash.

"Ooh," she cooed, reaching into the bag at the back of his pantry, "gummy bears."

Castle chuckled. "And gummy worms," he added, pulling the other bag out, smiling like the goober he was.

"Do you have any ice cream?" Kate asked.

"Is the Pope Catholic?" he retorted and Kate rolled her eyes, opening the freezer while he retrieved the freshly made popcorn from the microwave. At Kate's gasp, he nearly dropped the bag. "What's wrong?" he asked, turning to see her grinning widely at him as she held up the pint of ice cream.

"Rocky Road!" she exclaimed. "My favorite!"

"I thought your favorite was that strawberry thing you always order at Remy's," he lied; he remembered her mentioning her favorite ice cream once and he'd kept a steady supply ever since, in the hopes that she'd be coerced into joining them for dinner.

"That's only because they don't have Rocky Road," Kate replied, rolling her eyes as she got out two bowls and easily located his ice cream scoop.

"How did you even know where that was?" Castle asked. As memory served, Kate had never had ice cream at his place.

"I saw it when I stayed here. After my apartment exploded; remember?"

"Oh yeah," Castle said, as if he'd ever forget. "But we didn't have any ice cream."

"But Alexis made hot chocolate," Kate pointed out. "And she asked me to get spoons from the drawer; I remember seeing the ice cream scoop and figured it couldn't have changed locations since the last time."

"Whoa," Castle breathed, impressed. "Nice observation skills."

"Detective," Kate reminded him as she topped off the bowls with a dollop of whipped cream each.

"Right," Castle laughed, reaching for the wine bottle. Kate snatched it out of his hand before he could even uncork it and poured the agreed-upon half-glass before doing the same for hers. When their arms were filled with all of their treats, Kate led him back to the couch, where they settled in, each with their own bowl of ice cream, glass of wine, and separate blanket, leaving a few inches in between them to place the bowl of popcorn. Castle planted the bag of candy on the table in front of them, between their resting glasses of wine.

"Ready?" Kate asked, lifting the remote.

Castle took a large gulp of wine, sighing as the heavenly liquid flowed down his throat. "As I'll ever be," he replied, settling back into the couch cushions. Kate rolled her eyes and pressed play, her eyes lighting up as one of her—admittedly—favorite movies started playing.

As they watched the opening scene, Kate poured a handful of gummy bears and a few gummy worms over her ice cream, much to Castle's amusement. He never would have taken Kate as a sugar fiend—much like himself. He settled for m&m's and chocolate chips in his, taking bites of his ice cream between handfuls of popcorn, his eyes barely watching the screen, too focused on the smile plastered on Kate's face.

He never would have pegged her as a true romantic; not big, tough Detective Kate Beckett. But that smile on her face…it was sweeter than the candy in his bowl, and he hoped that he could elicit at least one smile like that every day for the rest of their lives.

Kate felt him watching her—he wasn't exactly being subtle about it—but she didn't dare embarrass him or point out how creepy he was being—as she was wont to do. Instead, she let him stare, reveling in the attention and reassured that he still loved her. She swore that one day she would return the sentiment.

It wasn't long before their glasses were once again drained and Castle stood to retrieve a couple of sodas ("because, Lord knows, I'll need the caffeine," he joked) and found himself sitting just a little closer to her, the bowl of popcorn mostly kennels now. Kate had finished her ice cream and the empty bowl was sitting beside her empty wine glass, her body cuddled against the back couch cushion, head angled toward Castle as her eyes remained glued to the scene in front of her. Allie had just left for New York and Castle could swear he saw tears in her eyes, though she covered them well.

Eventually, he moved the bowl to the coffee table, allowing himself to scoot about half an inch closer, thinking he was being slick; but, of course, Kate caught on. But, again, she didn't mention it. Not even when he did that lame stretch thing, his arm landing behind her on the couch. Kate rolled her eyes but couldn't hide her grin as she watched Noah and Allie sailing across the lake together. Her heart rate picked up at that point; she knew what was coming next and, instinctively, she inched closer, feeling Castle's fingers brush against the nape of her neck. She shivered, but didn't move away, instead leaning back so that his hand was now pressed to her shoulder. She felt the hand tense for a second, before relaxing, one finger mindlessly starting to stroke her shoulder. Kate was barely able to suppress a smile.

Her cheeks flushed as it began raining on screen, her mind internally reciting the dialogue seconds before each character said it, her hand clenching the blanket wrapped around her, eyes flitting to Castle's face every couple of seconds. His face pretty much holds the same expression, eyes slightly wider than usual and—unless it was only her imagination—darker, as well.

When she turned back to the screen, her hands clenched the blanket again as she watched Noah press Allie against the door.

_Alright, so maybe this wasn't the best idea_, she thought to herself, her entire body beginning to heat up. She loosened the blanket around her, her knee bumping Castle's and alerting him. He looked over at her, his eyes filled with lust as they locked with hers.

Without warning, she pounced at him, her lips crashing on his in a surprise attack. Castle didn't waste a single second, his arms automatically wrapping around her waist as he pushed her back into the cushions, his body over hers. Kate didn't even attempt to resist, her legs opening to cradle him between them as her hands roamed his back and his burying themselves in her hair. Kate moaned as he nipped her bottom lip, her lips curling up in a smile as she felt the growl that reverberated against them in return.

But when she felt Castle's hand reach down and stroke the bare skin that had been revealed when her shirt rode up, she pulled back.

"Castle," she gasped, grasping his hand in hers. Immediately, he moved off of her.

"Sorry!" he exclaimed, panting. "Sorry, I shouldn't have—sorry." He nearly fell off the couch, backing himself into the opposite corner of the couch and Kate hastened to sit up, one of her legs still tangled in the blanket.

"Castle," she sighed, leaning forward and taking his hand. "It's okay," she assured him. "I…I just don't want anybody walking in on us."

Castle's eyes widened comically. "Walking…walking in on us?" he stammered. "You mean…?"

Kate grinned, biting her lip as she leaned forward to press her lips to his, feeling her walls begin to crumble inside.

There was no use in waiting any longer; her walls already had a gaping, Castle-sized hole in them, even if they weren't completely down. Besides, she almost lost him today—they _all _almost lost him today—and if she had…well, she'd never have been able to forgive herself for never telling him how she really felt about him.

When she pulled back, the smile on his face eradicated any small hint of fear that had still resided in her heart.

She was ready; she was sure of it.

Immediately, she stood, grabbing his hand and pulling him up with her, guiding him towards his bedroom, not even caring to turn the TV off as she went. Castle followed her, wordlessly, allowing Kate to guide him, the blanket that was previously wrapped around his body falling to the floor as they disappeared into the next room.

When they entered his room, Kate ordered him to close the door behind him, without letting go of his hand, and he did so, not turning away from him. He gasped as, within seconds, she was pushing him against it, her lips pressing against his, insistently. This time, it took a couple of seconds for Castle to react and by that time Kate was already working the buttons of his shirt, leaving it half-open when his hands grasped her wrists, stopping her.

"Kate," he gasped, "wait; there's something you should know before we go any further."

"What?" Kate asked. "Does your head hurt? Do you need to go to the hospital?"

"No," he replied, "no, I'm okay. Better than okay, actually." He grinned down at her, stroking one thumb over her cheek.

"Then what's wrong?" Kate asked, searching his eyes. Castle sighed, looking down.

"The first is…remember your shooting?" Kate's eyes widened at that—especially the wording. She nearly shook her head, but then decided that it was time to stop lying. Looking him straight in the eye, Kate nodded.

"Yes," she said, "I do." Castle's eyes widened at that.

"Everything?" he asked, sure that the answer would be the same as always; no.

Kate nodded. "Yes," she said, her voice breaking slightly.

"How long?" he asked.

"Since…since that day in the hospital," Kate confessed. "When you brought me those flowers…" she smiled softly at the memory. "Made me smile even when everything hurt."

She could see Castle's eyes start to cloud over with pain. "Why didn't you tell me?" he asked. "Why did you lie?"

Kate took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. "I was scared," she said, honestly. "Scared that you didn't mean it; that you were just…just saying it out of desperation…at first. And then…then I knew it, by the way you looked at me and it made me so…happy."

"Happy?" There was a hopeful tint to his voice. Kate beamed at him.

"So, so happy," she confirmed, grasping his hand. "Insanely happy. But still…"

"Scared," Castle finished for her and Kate nodded, ashamed.

"Incredibly scared. But I didn't want to give up on us; and I didn't want to jump in with so much baggage. Not when I could destroy perhaps the most important relationship I've had since my mom died."

At that, Castle's face, which had been a bit more stoic and angry since she'd confessed to him, softened. But he said nothing, so she went on.

"You're too important to me," she said. "I can't lose you."

"You won't," Castle assured her. "You'll never lose me, Kate; I promise you." She smiled up at him, burying her face in his neck to nuzzle her nose against his skin.

"I love you, Castle," she said, feeling as if a weight had just lifted from her shoulders. She felt Castle's arms tighten around her, his face burying itself in her hair; she could feel his smile, larger than life, against her forehead.

"I love you, too," he said. "So much, Kate." She felt tears rush to her eyes at the soft confession in her ears and she pulled back, beaming up at him. They gazed into each other's eyes for a moment, before Castle leaned down, softly pressing his lips to hers. Kate responded in kind, the kiss gentle as he began to lead her to bed, their hands roaming each other's figures.

Kate finished unbuttoning his shirt so that, by the time they reached his bed, it was already resting in a puddle on the floor. Castle retaliated by lifting hers over her head and though Kate's arms lifted automatically to help, she suddenly wrapped them self-consciously around her abdomen, looking away from his face.

Castle knew why, instantly, his eyes locking on the little puckered, circular scar in the center of her chest, just flirting with the edge of her left breast. No doubt there was a similar scar on her stomach from where she'd been sliced open during surgery. And she was embarrassed; ashamed.

And he couldn't have that.

Softly, Castle pried her arms away from her midsection, meeting little resistance, and stared openly at the scar, caressing it with his eyes. It was faded, a dark pink now; he imagined it had been red when it was first stitched up. Kate's entire body seemed to flush at his penetrating stare, her arms itching to cover herself back up, but held tightly by Castle's firm hands.

Carefully, he placed her arms at her side, his gaze riveted to hers; with a single look, she knew not to try and cover herself up again.

Slowly, Castle's hand rose, planting itself on her hip, his thumb stroking over her scar, gently. Kate sighed, trying to suppress a shiver. Castle smiled adoringly at her as he kneeled, his hand never moving from her hip as he pressed his lips to the skin just above her navel, his kisses trailing across her stomach, to the scar. Looking up at her and locking their gazes once more, Castle pressed hot, loving kisses to the faded line that ran from just below her ribcage to the right of her navel.

His kisses were filled with more love and emotion than Kate had experienced from any lover she'd ever had; they caused a swell of happiness to rise within her.

One of her hands lifted, running through his hair, her nails lightly scratching his scalp as he continued to kiss and worship her abdomen with his tongue.

"You," he mumbled, between kisses, "are so," kiss, "beautiful," kiss, "and strong," kiss, "and brave," kiss, "and _extraordinary." _

Kate smiled at that, cupping his cheeks and lifting his eyes to meet hers. "You're not so bad yourself, Castle," she replied, wryly. He grinned up at her, placing one more kiss on her stomach, before allowing her to pull him up where their mouths met.

After that, everything seemed to move quickly. They divested each other's clothes, taking some time to appreciate each other's bodies before Castle was hovering over her at the head of the bed, her hair—released from her hairclip—spread around her head like a golden halo. Castle smiled down at her, one hand cupping her cheek as he gazed into her eyes, which sparkled in the dim light from the bedside lamp.

"You are beautiful," he said, not for the first time.

Kate giggled—_actually giggled_—at that and he smiled brightly, leaning down to kiss her smiling lips, making her moan into his mouth. When he pulled back, Castle reached towards the bedside table for a condom, but Kate's hand around his wrist stopped him.

"I'm clean," she said at his look of bewilderment, "I just got checked a couple of months ago. And I'm on the pill."

"I'm clean, too," Castle said. "But the pill can fail, Kate. Are you sure?"

She nodded. "You're it for me, Castle; my one and done. I'm not running anymore; not hiding. Whatever happens…happens. I'm not afraid."

He nodded. "Neither am I," he husked, brushing his nose against hers. Kate smiled, nipping at his lips.

He kissed her back for a few moments before pulling his lips from hers. "Are you ready for this, Kate?" he asked, searching her eyes for any trace of doubt.

She nodded. "Yes," she said, surely. "Yes, I'm ready. I want you, Castle; just you. Always."

He smiled, his lips once again finding hers as he quickly aligned them and plunged into her, groaning against her lips.

Kate gasped at the feeling of him stretching her, her heart swelling with love and lust and so many other emotions that she couldn't even name.

"Oh God, Castle," she gasped, her nails already digging into his shoulders, eyes glued to his. He gave her a few moments to adjust, before he started a slow, easy rhythm, rocking his hips gently into hers, waiting for her command to go any faster or harder.

He didn't have to wait very long.

Who would have ever guessed that Kate Beckett liked to talk dirty in bed? Certainly not him. But there she was, whispering naughty things in his ear that made his hips pick up in speed and force, his mouth attacking her neck, raining hickeys all up and down it as they moved together in harmony.

"Kate," he gasped, against her skin. "Kate, Kate, Kate." It fell, like a holy hymn, from his lips, each 'Kate' falling into rhythm with his thrusts, until they were barely recognizable from each other, the words practically melding together as he picked up speed, his body reveling in the feel of hers, the sounds of her moans and groans and the way her hips pistoned against his, her arms and legs wrapped so tightly around his that he thought—and hoped—she'd never let him go.

When he finally felt himself skirting that edge into complete and total bliss, his thrusts slowed somewhat, his face lifting from hers to look into her eyes; he wanted to watch as she fell.

Kate's eyes were half-lidded as she fought to keep them open; fought against the waves of pleasure that wracked her body as she got closer and closer to that ledge. All she needed was a little push…

"Kate," Castle ground out, his voice gravelly with need. "Kate, come for me; fall for me, baby," he practically begged. "I don't know how much longer I can hold out." His words caused a flush to spread over her entire body, making her quiver as she got even closer, but still not quite _there._

Knowing exactly what she needed, Castle's hand reached down between them, pressing his index finger to where she needed it most, making tight little circles around her clit. Within seconds, she was falling over that edge, calling out his name, which he quickly swallowed with his own mouth as he called her name in return, falling right over the edge after her.

When they fell to the bed, panting, Castle still atop her, Kate ran her fingers lazily over his spine, reveling in the feeling of his weight, like a blanket, atop her. She pressed kisses anywhere she could reach on his chest and shoulders as she waited for him to come back down.

When he finally did, he rolled over, pulling Kate—who was like a koala, her arms bound tightly around him—with him. She pressed her cheek to his chest, listening to his heart beat. They were gloriously naked and still connected. After a few moments, he slipped from her body and she shivered. Castle took this as her being cold and quickly got them under the covers, never letting her move from his chest.

"Well," he said, after a long pause, "you were absolutely right?"

"Hmm?" Kate hummed against his chest, still sated and a little slow. Castle grinned, smugly at that.

"I had no idea," he supplied and Kate laughed.

"Neither did I," she said and he chuckled in return, reaching down to kiss her.

"I'm exhausted," he sighed, his eyes closing.

"You can't go to sleep," Kate said, even as her own eyes started to droop. "Doctor's orders."

"Kate," Castle reasoned, "if I had a concussion, I'd already have symptoms, don't you think? Vomiting, confusion, slurred speech…I've had none of those."

"Gotta be safe," she mumbled against his chest.

"Ask me any question then," Castle said, "just to be sure."

"What's your name?" Kate asked.

"Richard Edgar Castle or, if you ask my mother, Richard Alexander Rodgers."

"What's your daughter's name?"

"Alexis Harper Castle."

"Your mother's name?"

"Martha Celestina Rodgers."

"Celestina?"

"My grandparents were mind readers on Coney Island," Castle replied, by way of explanation and Kate giggled.

"One more question," she said.

"Shoot."

"Who do you love?" Kate asked.

"Well, I love a lot of people," he replied smartly. "My mother and daughter, of course. Lanie, like a sister; Esposito and Ryan, like brothers who'd kick my ass if I did anything to hurt either you or Lanie…"

"And…?" Kate urged. Castle gave her a soft smile.

"You," he said, nodding. "Katherine Middle-name-unknown Beckett. Forever and always."

Kate was silent for a moment.

"Houghton," she said.

"Hmm?" Castle asked.

"My middle name is Houghton; for Katharine Hepburn. My mom loved her."

"Katherine Houghton Beckett," Castle said, testing the name out on his tongue. "I love it." He smiled down at her. "I love you," he added.

Kate beamed up at him, planting a kiss on his lips. "I love you, too," she whispered as she pulled back. "But I still think you should wait until you got to sleep; just to be safe."

"Well," Castle said, "then that means we have a few hours to kill, doesn't it? Can you think of anything we might do in those few hours, Miss Beckett?"

Kate grinned slyly up at him, one hand disappearing under the covers to grasp him in her hand, making him gasp.

"Oh," she said, "I can think of a _few _things, actually."

**REVIEWS! I've been working on this one for a couple days, on and off, but I kind of like it. What about you?**


	12. Chapter 12

**Okay, so this one is going to be…**_**interesting. **_**Enjoy!**

**Prompt: Body Switch AU (Pre-season 5)**

"You have no idea how hard it is to be a woman," Kate growled at Castle in the break room. "Especially in this line of duty."

"Everybody seems to respect you more than they respect me," Castle pointed out, knowing that the words were stupid the second they left his mouth.

"Because I had to _work_ for that respect, Castle," Kate said, fixing herself a cup of coffee. "Do you think I had that coming in?"

"I bet Montgomery gave you respect," Castle answered, half-heartedly. "And Royce."

"Ha!" Kate snorted. "As if! Royce called me 'Sweet Cheeks' when I first joined the force and it wasn't because of my face, I'll tell you that much. And Roy was only nice to me because of...you know." She dared not say it aloud lest Captain Gates hear.

"But you didn't know that coming in," Castle pointed out. "Besides, there's not a single person on this squad, old or new, that would even _dare _mess with you."

"Oh no?" Kate asked, turning to glare at him. "When Esposito first joined my team, he was a little like you—cocky and insufferable. He tried to get into my pants the second we met, whether I was his superior or not. And he was always making cracks about my ability to take down suspects—said I might break a nail. In fact, if I hadn't saved his life, he'd probably still be hitting on me and making me feel inferior."

"If you hadn't saved his life," Castle replied, smartly, "he'd be dead."

Kate rolled her eyes. "You know what I mean, jackass," she said. "I'll bet every penny I have that you've never been treated like that?"

"Oh no?" Castle said, angrily. "What do you think it's like being the 'playboy writer'? Where every woman thinks that she has a chance at sleeping with you because she has a pulse and you're just some 'typical horny man'? And the fact that you're a single father who gives millions to charity on a monthly basis is overshadowed by the fact that you've been married twice and have hundreds of 'alleged' trysts; the majority of which were grossly over exaggerated? Women look at me and all they see is a shallow playboy. I mean, isn't that what _you _saw when we first met?"

"Oh, boo hoo!" Kate snapped, glaring at him. "So women want to have sex with you; cry me a river, Castle. I've got men still telling me that I should quit the precinct and leave crime-solving to the _men._"

"Who says that?" Castle asked, suddenly feeling murderous, his eyes going to the window, scanning the masculine faces for anybody who might need their ass kicked.

"The 'who' is not important, Castle," Kate sighed. "It's the fact that they still do it, no matter how much I've been through—no matter my closure rate or a freaking bullet to the chest. But Ryan's first day on the job, they applauded him for getting a bloody freaking nose chasing down a suspect. No wise cracks at all. _That's _the difference."

"Well you don't seem too upset by it," Castle said, kicking himself internally for his incessant word vomit. The fury in Kate's eyes flared for only a moment before she just turned away, her back rigid as she picked up her cup.

"It's getting late," she said, changing the subject entirely. "Maybe you should go home; go see your family and whatnot. I have paperwork."

"Beckett, I—"

"Just _go_, Castle," Kate growled, before storming out of the room.

Castle sighed, abandoning his cup as he headed out of the precinct. It was barely past five, but they didn't have a case. He doubted Kate would be welcoming even if they did.

He headed home with a tightness in his chest, though his anger at her had barely diminished. How could she possibly think that he had it easier, even as a man? Okay, a wealthy and successful white man, but he still had his troubles. Different from hers, no doubt, but still as many and as trying.

He shook his head; there was no point in arguing about it anymore, though; perhaps they could talk tomorrow—clear the air and go back to normal…

_Ha!_ He laughed internally. _We were never 'normal'. _But he kind of liked that about them. Liked the fact that she wasn't like every other woman who threw themselves at him, hoping for a quick romp and an inch of space on Page Six.

She probably didn't even know about his self-imposed celibacy—nobody really did. And he—but mostly Gina—wanted to keep it that way, lest his 'image' be ruined.

Castle hated his image, but it made him plenty of money—enough to ensure that his daughter would never have to pay a penny for student loans and keep his family comfortable and safe and happy—so he played it up as much as possible.

But, he thought, when he and Kate finally got together, officially—which was bound to happen soon, right?—his image would take a 180, right back into the faithful husband/father-figure, which he felt made the women admire him even more.

If not, then he was sure they'd do well living out of a cardboard box until Alexis finished school.

When he entered the loft, Castle was nearly plowed over by his ecstatic daughter, who was chattering on about all the classes she was going to take as soon as she got her acceptance to Stanford. He swallowed past the lump of heartbreak in his throat at the thought of his little girl moving all the way across the country and pasted on a smile as he listened to her explain, in minute detail, all about how campus life and her multiple classes were going to be.

God, he needed a drink.

**X_X_X**

Kate Beckett practically dragged herself through her apartment, grabbing a banana and a bottle of water for 'dinner' and then making her way toward her bedroom, where she stripped and climbed into her bed, way too tired to even think about putting on pajamas. She ate her banana, downed her water, and rolled over, settling into the sheets and pillows cocooning her.

But no matter how tired she was, sleep seemed to elude her.

Thoughts of her fight with Castle plagued her mind.

_How did that dumb ass fight even start?_ Kate wondered. She knew it had something to do with her flirting with some guy for information and Castle—being Castle—getting jealous over it, but trying to hide it by telling her that she shouldn't be demeaning herself like that or some shit.

After that, everything is a blur. A very angry, loud, red-faced blur. Things'll probably be better tomorrow, she thought. Most likely back to normal.

So why couldn't she stop thinking about it?

**X_X_X**

Castle woke to the blaring of his cell phone at…5 am? Ugh, why couldn't murderers wait until the sun rose, at least?

Inconsiderate bastards.

He reached for the phone, his hand clumsily knocking over a water bottle on the nightstand.

_Huh_, he thought, _I don't remember bringing that to bed._ He ignored it in favor of answering the call, letting out a gravelly hello, which sounded just a little too high to be his voice.

"We got a body," came Esposito's curt reply. How the hell was _he _so awake right now? And why was he calling and not Beckett? Was she still angry with him? He hoped not.

"What's the address?" Castle asked, trying to clear his throat and deepen his voice a little.

Espo gave it to him and Castle thanked him, before hanging up, sighing as he curled around his pillow, intent on getting a couple more minutes of rest.

But, alas, Mother Nature had other plans. He felt the familiar pressure in his bladder and rose from the sweet-smelling sheets (Mother must have been 'tidying up' again, he thought, wryly) and padded towards the bathroom.

He bypassed the mirror as he entered, lifted the toilet seat, and then…

Wait, where did his boxers go? He knew he'd gone to sleep in a t shirt and…WHY DOES HE HAVE BOOBS? WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON?! WHERE'S HIS—

Castle practically sprinted to the bathroom mirror, finally realizing that _this _was not his bathroom. And this was _definitely _not his body!

He flipped on the light switch—which he'd bypassed in favor of getting to the toilet ASAP—and nearly fell backwards at the sight of a pair of beautiful green eyes staring back at him, as well as the cloud of perfect messy auburn hair around his—or rather _her_—head.

"Kate?" Castle gasped, her eyes widening as he felt his do.

How the hell was this even possible? It couldn't be—he wasn't—how-?

Just then, the phone—which he finally realized was not his—on the nightstand rang and he rushed towards it, glancing down and flushing as he once again noticed the bouncing…uh, _weights _on his chest. He averted his gaze as he answered the call.

"Hello?"

"CASTLE, WHAT THE FUCK?!" his own voice greeted him. It was Beckett, he figured.

"Beckett?" he asked. "You too?"

"What the hell do you mean 'you too'?" Kate hissed. "Where do you think I went while you were in my body?" He almost snickered at that, but figured that Kate would most likely punch him—whether he was in her body or not—when they saw each other again. Most likely in the face.

"I don't know!" Castle defended. "I thought it was a dream!"

"Well, it's not," Kate sighed. "Trust me; I checked."

"Well, that's just great," Castle sighed. "Now what do we do about this non-dream?"

"How soon can you meet me?" Kate asked; he heard her shuffling around, most likely looking for his clothes.

"Well," Castle said, "about that…we kind of…have a body."

"WHAT?!"

"Sorry," Castle said. "There's really nothing I can do about that, but Esposito called and I already said that I—well, _you_—would be there."

Kate groaned. "We can't show up at a crime scene like _this_! What are people going to think?"

"Nothing," Castle assured her, "so long as we keep cool."

"You?" Kate scoffed. "Keep cool? _That_'ll be the day."

"Hey! I resent that!" Castle complained. "I happen to have inherited my mother's acting skills and, besides, I already know most everything about you, having followed you around for the last three and a half years."

"Castle, no," Kate said. "You can't go—you'll never—wait."

"What?" Castle asked.

"I went to sleep naked last night," Kate said, her voice tight with tension.

"Um…yes," Castle said, not knowing what else to say.

"So that means that I'm still…?"

"Uh…yeah."

"This day just keeps getting better and better, doesn't it?" Kate groused. "Get dressed, Castle," Kate hissed, "and text me the address for that crime scene; we might as well go _now."_

"Will do," Castle replied. "Oh, and Kate?"

"Yeah?"

"Your legs are fucking fantastic," Castle replied, looking down at them, stretching them and getting a good look at his—her—ass.

Kate sighed and said nothing; just hung up.

_Men._

**X_X_X**

They met around the corner from the crime scene and Kate was relieved to see that he'd chosen clothes that actually matched—a charcoal gray blazer and trouser suit, with a lighter gray button-up and a dark blue silk tie—but the shoes he chose…

"How are you even _standing up _in those?" she asked him as he strutted towards her on a pair of her four-inch pumps. She'd figured he'd go for a pair of her flats.

"Weird childhood phase I'd rather not talk about," Castle answered, ignoring Kate's raised brow as he appraised the outfit she'd chosen. It was the usual dress shirt and blazer with matching trousers. His hair was gelled to its usual neat and styled do, which was impressive; he didn't think she paid _that _much attention to her.

He'd only tied her hair back into a French braid, settling it over one shoulder, which Kate liked (and tried to convince herself that he only knew it because of Alexis—but failed).

"Nice hair," they said in unison. Castle gave Kate that same beaming grin—only this time it was on her own lips.

Kate returned it, before schooling her features into her usual serious expression.

"Okay," she said, "now when we approach the crime scene, be _serious._ No wise cracks or quips; I'll cover that."

"But—"

"No buts," Kate said, putting up one of his big hands to stop his words, before narrowing his eyes at him. "_Serious_," she said, again.

"Is it weird that I still think you're hot?" he asked.

"_And _a little conceited," Kate added, before turning to walk towards the scene. Castle started to follow, but then felt something tug in the center of his chest. He looked down, rubbing the space between his—er, _her _breasts. He'd seen the scar before, having had looked in the mirror to check that he was putting on his—ugh _HER _bra correctly and that it was fastened the proper way. He'd stared at that little puckered scar, remembering the moment she'd bled out beneath him—it was the worst day of his life.

So he told himself that he would not be the one to bring it up, because as bad as it was for him, it was most likely worse for her.

He followed her towards the crime scene and smirked when she allowed him to pass her because 'the detective is always in the lead, Castle' and pulled out her badge, flashing it at the uni who greeted him with a nod and raised his hand to high five Kate, who didn't even miss a beat.

"What've we got?" she asked Espo as they approached.

"Hey, isn't that your line?" Ryan asked Castle, who schooled his features into a scowl, glaring at Kate, who he could tell was trying not to roll her—_his_—eyes.

"Yes," he said, in a very good impression of 'irritated Beckett', "it _is._" He glared at her and she just shrugged, looking towards the body, which was face down on the pavement, Perlmutter—THANK GOD AND ALL THAT WAS HOLY THAT LANIE WAS NOT AT THIS ONE—already crouched by it, checking for signs of foul play.

"So," Castle said, to him, "what've we got?"

Perlmutter offered him a tight smile—no doubt meant for Beckett, so Castle kept his gloating to himself—and started listing all the visible details that could be found on the body.

As he listened with one ear, Castle found himself looking around at the scene around him, catching sight of a few other details that might be important, but also to Espo and Ryan, who were regarding him—_Beckett_—with curiosity, as if they could _tell._

No, he told himself, they'd never be able to tell _that_, but they might know that something's off if they're not careful.

**X_X_X**

The case is thankfully an easy open-and-shut. Their victim was killed by a jealous ex-lover who'd seen him out with his new wife and just snapped, following him after he dropped her off at work to confront him. She hadn't meant to hurt him, she claimed, but she'd just gotten so angry after he called her crazy that she'd just…lost it. The guilt was practically eating her up so there was no need for either Kate or Castle to do a full on, good cop/bad cop interrogation. She confessed after less than a minute.

The rest of the day was spent doing paperwork—the boys made plenty of comments about Castle helping out for once and he deflected by claiming that he—the Beckett-Castle—had lost a bet. They'd accepted it with no small amount of suspicion.

At five, they knocked off, intent on getting to Kate's apartment as quick as possible to figure out what the hell was going on.

They found absolutely _nothing. _Not in any medical journal or book of magic or Wikipedia article or…_anything._

There was absolutely nothing _plausible _to explain a body switch—not one this seemingly random, anyway.

By ten o'clock, they were both exhausted and frustrated, neither having liked what their days had been like.

Since they arrived at the Twelfth, Castle had caught at least a dozen different cops looking at him with undisguised lust in their eyes. None had dared touch Beckett's body—because there were at least fifty cops within a hundred feet radius that would have ripped them a new one, not to mention Beckett herself—but they whispered lewd comments as they walked by her desk or as he walked through the precinct, from the break room to the murder board, trying to ignore everything he heard, though the anger that was mounting inside of him…it was volatile.

Meanwhile, Beckett had been taking calls from Gina, pretending to be Castle and trying not to voice her disgust as Gina practically demanded that Castle flirt his ass off at his next release party 'to keep his female fans happy and their purses open.' She hated that this was part of the job requirement and hoped that things would go back to normal before she had to go through that. She didn't think she could stand one party as Castle, with women throwing themselves at him. She would have to ask him how he did that if it came to it.

They were practically falling asleep on each other, their eyelids drooping as they lounged back against the couch cushions, books and papers and laptops scattered around them. There were take out containers on the coffee table, as well as four or five empty beer bottles. Kate eyed them antagonistically, before hefting herself up onto Castle's sturdy legs.

"Come on, Castle," she said, "let's go to bed."

No matter how tired he was, he still gave her that wry grin. "Why, Detective Beckett, I—"

"Shut it, jack ass," Kate said, laughing. "I meant for sleep. It's way too late to get back to your place; besides, I would rather sleep in my own bed tonight and you can't exactly go to your own."

"I can sleep on the couch," he offered.

"No reason we can't share a bed," Kate replied, pulling him up and supported him as he wobbled in her heels. "I have no doubt that you're not going to try anything while I'm still in your body."

"Never know," Castle mumbled, leaning heavily against her as she led them both to the bedroom. "I'm just full of surprises."

Kate rolled her eyes, helping him to the bed and pulling the heels off before allowing him to crawl up the bed, fully dressed. She'd worry about the wrinkled clothing later; right now they just had to get some sleep so they could wake up tomorrow with fresh minds.

She slipped off Castle's shoes and draped the blazer over a chair in the corner before joining him in bed, keeping a respectable amount of space between them, but facing him in the dark.

They were silent for a few moments, the only sound of their even breaths. Kate thought he'd drifted off when suddenly her own voice flitted through her subconscious.

"Beckett?" he asked.

"Yeah?" she replied.

"I'm sorry."

"For what, Castle?" she asked, blinking at him, trying to see her eyes through the darkness, but just seeing her own silhouette, half buried in her pillow.

"For everything I said yesterday," he said. "That you're life wasn't as hard as you made it out to be. The truth is…it's harder."

"Castle, I—"

"No," he said, one hand rising to place a finger against his lips. "Let me say this." Kate nodded. "You've been through so much," he went on. "And you still face jerks at work—whom I will kill with my bare hands, sooner or later," he promised, coaxing a small laugh out of her. "And after everything you've been through, just the fact that you're still standing—on incredibly high heels, no less—" another chuckle, "is amazing. I meant it when I said you were extraordinary; I still mean it."

Kate smiled at him through the darkness; if he wasn't in her body, she'd have kissed him. She wanted so much to tell him that—to show him how much she cared for him—but she didn't want to do it like this. Not when he was apologizing to her for a stupid fight that was _both _of their fault.

"I'm sorry, too," she replied, softly. "I know that you're not the guy the media makes you out to be—I've known that for years now—but I still treat you like…there's no excuse for it and I'm sorry, Castle; I'm so sorry."

"Sh," Castle said, pressing her finger to his lips again. "It's okay, Beckett," he said. "We've both made mistakes; both said and done things we don't mean. You know, for two such smart people, we can be pretty stupid."

Kate chuckled. "Ya think?" she said, smiling before her mouth opened in a loud, long yawn. Suddenly, she felt herself losing the fight to keep her eyes open, her silhouette fading to blackness as she felt herself falling deeper into slumber. Castle had stopped talking, as well, but she could feel their hands connect as they drifted off, fingers lacing together as they let the darkness and silence envelop them.

"Goodnight, Castle," Kate murmured, though Castle couldn't hear her; he was already out like a light.

**X_X_X**

When he awoke the next morning, Castle's eyes fluttered open, smiling at Beckett's angelic face as she slept next to him, her nose wrinkling adorably, her hand squeezing his in her sleep. He allowed his eyes to close again for a few seconds, before they suddenly snapped open.

"Beckett?" he gasped, his eyes wide. "Beckett!"

One eye cracked open, before closing again. "What do you want, Castle?" she asked. "It's too early for…" she trailed off as something registered in her mind, hers eyes opening slowly, her lips forming an adorable little 'o'.

"C-Castle?" she asked, tentatively. He smiled brightly at her, happiness practically oozing from every inch of him. "We…we're back?"

"I…I think so," he replied, looking down at their linked fingers. Her hand was so much smaller than his. "I think we are…"

"But…how?" Kate asked, looking at the same spot, holding back a shiver as his thumb started stroking the back of her hand.

"Dunno," Castle said, still grinning, "but we're back!" Finally, Kate's smile matched his and she closed the distance between their faces, pressing a kiss to his lips in her happiness. Castle responded in kind, his hand releasing hers in favor of wrapping around her waist, now stroking her hip with his thumb.

When they pulled back, Castle was smiling softly at her.

"What was that for?" he asked. "Um, not that I didn't really enjoy it and wouldn't welcome it if you wanted to do it again," he added, quickly. Kate laughed, smiling as she touched her nose to his.

"It's been a long time coming," she whispered, gazing into his eyes. "And I thought, why not now? Especially after what we just went through." She shrugged. "Life is weird and crazy, Castle; might as well not waste a second of it, right?"

"Totally right," Castle replied, leaning in to press a softer kiss to her lips. "So right."

**REVIEWS please!**

**Also, sorry if I don't update as often anymore but I just had a two-night show and I'm starting school tomorrow so my schedule is gonna be pretty erratic and messy. I swear, I'll post as often as possible! Thank you for your patience!**


	13. Chapter 13

**Prompt: Beckett reunites with Castle (from the-fourteenth-of-august on Tumblr)**

Seven weeks.

Seven weeks, four days, six hours, and 47 minutes since she last saw his face, last kissed his lips, last brushed her hand against his slightly stubbly chin…

Seven and a half weeks since she last smiled or laughed or felt _anything _but the swell of dread in her chest with every second that went by without any leads or whenever one died.

But then, about two weeks ago, they found something. It was small and she would have been taking a hug chance—risking her life as well as others—but it was all she had to go on. She'd even told the boys that she could follow it herself, so that Esposito could be there for Lanie and Martha and Alexis—who Kate swears hates her right now—and Ryan could go home to his wife and baby girl.

But they refused—as they always did—to leave her side.

"We're with you to the end," Ryan had said.

"There's no getting rid of us now," Espo added, the two bumping fists as they grinned at her, resilient and stubborn.

So they'd followed her, never leaving her alone for a second; not even after Kate had told Ryan to leave when Jenny sent him a video of Sarah Grace's first word ("Daddy", of course). They stuck with her and it was grueling and heart-breaking and hope-destroying and…

She couldn't have done it without them.

Because now here she stands, her gun held firmly in her hands, pointed away from her, towards some unknown danger that lies behind that door. The boys had convinced her to wait for backup—otherwise they would have entered nearly an hour ago—and now they're behind her, waiting for her signal.

But she's just standing there, her ears perked, trying to hear past the pounding in her chest. Waiting…

What if he's not there? What if this is just another dead end, another false alarm? What if they go in there and find him dead or…or worse? What if—

She hears a slight thump that startles her and then a groan…

_Castle_! They've found him.

She stampedes through the door, nearly knocking it off its hinges with the first impact, but it takes a couple more bodies to get through it. She's the first one to slip into a dark room, where the only light floods in from the door she just came through…and the sun in already setting.

She can see the basic shapes of only a few things. There are chains on the wall, a table pushed against the far wall, a bare mattress in the corner, and…

"Castle?" she spots the overturned chair just a few feet in front of her, a large figure attached to it, floppy hair spilled over the features and floor. It's not moving…

He lets out another groan and her heart jumps, her feet carrying her to him, her body dropping down beside him to cradle his head.

"Castle!" she exclaims, brushing the hair from his face, her heart swelling with joy, the first smile she's had in months blooming on her lips. "You're alive!"

"Hmm," he responds, obviously dazed from the fall. "Kate…"

She grins at that, pressing a kiss to his face and startling slightly at the coppery taste of blood on him.

"Espo!" she calls behind her as the men finally bumble through. "Ryan, come help!"

The boys rush over and all three of them get Castle upright and they begin removing the duct tape that held him to the chair. All the while, Kate can't keep herself from stroking his face, from searching for the wounds that might litter his body and quite possibly still be bleeding. By the time he's freed and they're walking him out—their bodies supporting his weaker one—she's located at least a dozen scabbed over and barely healed wound.

But there's no time to worry about that because he's here; _he's alive._

Nobody says anything as Kate and the boys take him to the hospital to have him checked out. She doesn't drive this time; instead, she sits in the back with him, his head in her lap as she strokes his hair, whispering soft, soothing words into his ears.

At the hospital, she refuses to leave him still; just stays and holds his hand whenever she can, always in plain view of him, offering him wide, joyful grins.

When he's cleared to go home with no worse than a broken wrist and some serious malnutrition and dehydration, she's overjoyed. The instructions from the doctor are to simply slowly reintroduce him to food and regular meals and keep him drinking water and all kinds of fluids to bring him back to health. He's also recommended that Castle not try to write or type until his wrist is out of the cast—which will take a good three months due to the shattered bones that showed up in the X-ray. He'll start physical therapy as soon as possible to regain mobility in the joint.

Kate calls home as they make their way back, letting Martha and Alexis know that they'll have to be careful with him, but that he'll be as good as new soon enough—she makes a mental note to call Dr. Burke and set up an appointment for Castle; God knows he's going to need the therapy after what he's been through.

When they enter the loft, Alexis practically stampedes into her—mostly because Kate blocked her path to her father—and she holds the girl tightly, reveling in the contact from one of her admittedly favorite people. She keeps one arm around Alexis as they turn to Castle and she watches as both sets of eyes fill with tears before they embrace each other, Castle pressing kisses to her hair, no matter how weak and tired he is, crushing her body against his. Alexis sobs into his chest, her body slumping against his.

Martha joins them a moment later, when they've all made it to the couch, Alexis in his lap like a child and Kate leaning against his side. Martha plops down next to him, her arms wrapping around his shoulders, pulling his head down to her own and pressing a lip-sticked kiss to his forehead. He grins boyishly at her.

"Hello, Mother," he croaks out, his voice gravelly and hoarse. Martha says nothing, just revels in having her son back in her arms.

They stay cuddled like that for a while—one big, happy family—before Martha stands, placing one more kiss to his forehead, and pulls Alexis upstairs for bed, leaving Kate cuddled up against Castle.

After a while, she stands and makes him something small to eat. He almost refuses but after an incredibly stern look, he acquiesces, nibbling at the bowl of cereal she places in front of him.

When it's all gone and they've both eaten, Kate leads him into his—_their _bedroom, where she lays down with him.

"Shouldn't you be out there?" he asks quietly after several moments, "finding…_them_?"

Them; the people from his past. People he's never told her—or anybody about—until now. The people that nearly took him from her—who probably still don't realize that he's gone.

"Espo and Ryan are taking care of it," she informs him, cuddling closer to his body, cautious of the scars she found on his chest before. "And Gates has a team working on it."

"Gates?" Castle gasps. "Really?"

"Don't go getting a big head," Kate laughs at his cocky grin (oh how she's missed that grin). "You're a victim—just like any other. And she still hasn't found the people who've killed one of her own in the process of this investigation."

"Why can't she just admit that she likes me already?" Castle sighs. "It would make gloating a whole lot easier."

Kate rolls her eyes at him before pressing a kiss to his neck. "Go to sleep," she orders in a faux-stern voice and she can feel the smile on his face bloom against her forehead.

"'Kay," he says, in that irritating, little-boy voice. "Night, Kate. I love you."

She kisses his neck again. "I love you, too," she whispers, snuggling against his firm body, finally.

She doesn't fall asleep right away, though. Instead she waits for his breathing to even out first; listens to his steadying heartbeat as it lulls her to sleep.

Outside, in the city they live in, there is violence and heartbreak and noise—so much noise. There's a patrol car sitting outside, keeping them safe. There are men—bad men—who want to hurt the man lying next to her, but she'll never let them.

Not ever again.

And here, in this room, where their bodies are intertwined, there is fear. Fear that neither of them is safe—nor will they ever be again. Not until they catch the men who did this to him—to them.

But there is also love. And, she thinks, sometimes that's more powerful than fear.

Isn't it?

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	14. Chapter 14

**This one should be both fluffy and funny.**

**Prompt: Kate's first encounter with the Boba Fett in Castle's bathroom.**

She's never felt quite so…sated. Not in her whole life. And she knows that admitting it would make Castle's head bigger than the state of Texas but…damn.

Her dazed grin is probably giving her away, anyway, as she lolls against his chest, their bodies practically plastered together as they cool down. She sighs, burying her nose in his neck, pressing her lips to his skin, before slowly peeling herself off of him.

Castle whimpers, attempting to keep her from moving, but Kate slips out of his grasp, giggling as he attempts to move his body to follow her, but it's obviously not complying—too spent is he from their previous…_activities._

"Where're ya goin?" he whines at her as she tugs his previously discarded t-shirt over her bare torso.

"If I told you that, it might ruin the mystery," Kate replies with a wink. "And the mood," she adds, sauntering towards the bathroom. She knows that his eyes, as always, are glued to her ass and, not for the first time, she's grateful. She'd rather he be distracted anyway. At the door to his bathroom—which is pitch black, being that it's nearly two in the morning—she turns her head to throw a flirty grin at him, before entering, flicking the light switch on her way in, and nearly peeing herself at the sight of the figure on the far wall pointing what looks to be a gun at her.

She lets out a girlish shriek that she's _certain _she has not made since she was—at most—fourteen years old and falls back, catching herself on the sink. It takes her a second to realize that the figure—which scared the living crap out of her—is not moving and poses no actual threat to her. In fact, she finds herself _recognizing _him and is suddenly filled with shame and embarrassment.

And annoyance.

"Castle!" she yells, reentering the bedroom. "What the hell is that?!"

"I see you've met Boba," Castle cracks, grinning. "I had no idea you could even _make _that sound…"

"Castle!" Kate snaps, halting his words. "What the hell is _Boba Effing Fett _doing in your _bath_room?"

"Guarding the potty?" Castle replies in his meek little-boy voice. Kate rolls her eyes.

"I'm dating a child," she groans, rubbing her eyes.

"YOU'RE CHEATING ON ME?!" he exclaims in mock outrage. Kate gives him a withering glare and he practically shrinks. "Just kidding," he squeaks, holding his hands up in surrender. Kate rolls her eyes. "Pedophile," he whispers under his breath and Kate groans, turning to walk back into the bathroom, trying to look away from the life-size figure.

After a few moments, her anger and annoyance melts away and she feels a smile begin to bloom on her lips, a laugh bubbling in her throat and escaping in a tiny giggle.

Before she knows it, she's laughing hysterically, unable to stop herself as she returns to the bedroom. The look of confusion Castle gives her only makes her laugh harder and she dissolves onto the bed at his feet, holding her aching sides as she continues to laugh. Castle just stares at her—his girlfriend, Detective Katherine Houghton Beckett, bad ass cop and survivor of more than one brush with death, _giggling hysterically?_ Over what? A life-sized Boba Fett in a grown man's bathroom?

In all the years he's known her, Castle never would have thought that _that _would be the thing to make Kate Beckett go crazy. But, damn, if she wasn't still as adorable as ever; more even.

Castle sits up on his knees, watching her with a soft, loving smile on his features; watching his usually tough-as-nails and no-nonsense detective roll around, laughter shaking her body. After a few moments, she's no longer in hysterics, the occasional giggle bubbling up as she smiles up at him. Castle grins back and leans down, pressing a kiss to her smiling lips.

When he pulls back, they're both grinning like idiots.

"You're pretty adorable, you know that?" he says and her cheeks pinken just a fraction.

"You're not so bad yourself, Castle," she purrs, raising her arms to pull at his neck, so that their noses are once again only a breath apart. "You big goober," she whispers, before pressing their lips together again.

**REVIEWS please!**


	15. Chapter 15

**Okay, so for anybody who's wondering where the hell all the chapters for my other stories (Captain, Arranged, Bodyguard, Always, etc) are, well…I have no idea. I'm trying to get the 75,000 word count for this one so I can qualify for the Castle Ficathon Maxithon thing and I'm almost to 50,000 now. But I'll try to update them in the next couple of times when I have some time.**

**Prompt: Days of the Week.**

**(Takes place in my future Caskett world, complete with Caskett babies and other ship babies)**

**Monday**

Mondays are hard.

It takes a lot to get them going on Mondays now that they have to worry about feeding three little mouths and try to avoid any tantrums that from either toddler that would delay them from getting to school or work on time. Kate is usually the first one up and tries to get in about twenty to thirty minutes of yoga in before their eldest child, together, Richard James—or RJ—bursts through their bedroom door to let them know that Marti and Joey are up and crying. Then she wakes up her sleepy husband and they make their way upstairs.

It usually takes Castle about fifteen minutes to fully wake up and, by that time, he usually already has a little girl in his arms, rocking back and forth on the balls of his feet to quiet her. He favors Joey because she's easier to calm down than Marti, who's every bit as dramatic as her namesake, Martha. They usually take turns with the girls, changing their respective diapers before getting them ready for the day.

Today, Castle has Marti and it takes him twenty minutes to get the two-year-old to stop crying. He envies his mother, who gets to sleep through it all with a pair of ear plugs. By the time he lays her out on the changing table, now all giggly and energetic, Kate is already picking out Joey's clothes for the day.

She picks out a rainbow dress and a pair of purple leggings while Castle grimaces at the mess their other kid made in her diaper. By the time he's thrown out the soiled diaper and fastened on a new one, Kate is braiding Joey's hair. The little girl's bright blue eyes shine up at him as she gives him a little dimpled grin.

He waves at her as he leads Marti to her dresser and lets her pick out something to wear. The long-sleeved red shirt and denim jumper she chooses are adorable and he picks out a pair of pick leggings to go underneath. As fussy as Marti is when she first wakes up, she's a bit more efficient when it comes to getting dressed. She dresses herself and slaps Castle's hands away if he tries to help, only allowing him to fasten the buttons on her straps.

Kate's waiting for them and he hands her the toddler before heading off towards RJ's room to help his one and only son get ready for the day.

As always, he finds the boy snoring on his bed, jeans halfway up his thighs, chest bare. He laughs as he kneels next to the racecar bed, reaching out to brush the floppy hair from the six-year-old's eyes.

RJ blinks a pair of greenish-blue eyes open at his father, before groaning and burying his face into the pillow. Castle chuckles.

"I know, Buddy," he says, "but it's time to get up."

RJ groans again, but sits up, pulls on his jeans and picks up the blue t-shirt from the end of his bed, slipping it over his head. It's got a little green alien on it that Castle remembers laughing about when RJ begged for it about two months ago, and Kate's smart comment about apples not falling far from the tree.

After RJ gets on his socks, Castle walks him down to the kitchen, where Kate has already placed a box of Lucky Charms on the table and the girls are in their high chairs, eating dry Cheerios with their hands and sipping milk from sippy cups. Kate offers RJ a kiss on his cheek as a good morning and runs to their room to get ready for work while Castle makes coffee and toast, cleaning up his daughters' mess when their breakfast is done.

After he releases them from their high chairs, he helps them put on their shoes and quickly combs Marti's hair—because she hates having it put up more than anything—until it's perfectly silky and her curls frame her chubby face. He nuzzles her nose when he finishes and she giggles, her hazel-green eyes sparkling (he swears if it wasn't for their eyes, he'd never be able to tell the twins apart). When he has them in their coats and their pre-made lunches in their hands, Castle kisses all three of his children goodbye, just as there's a knock at the door.

Castle smiles brightly at his daughter and grandson, Lukas, as he opens the door to their bright smiles.

"Are they ready?" she asks and he nods, pausing only as Kate runs out of their bedroom, practically hopping as she struggles to zip one of her boots.

"Wait," she says, finally getting the zipper up and running up to her three children, opening her arms to them as she gets to her knees. They crowd her in one large hug and Castle can see her smile, large and joyful as ever, as she kisses her babies goodbye—which she never fails to do, no matter how early she has to wake up.

"I love you so much," she murmurs into the hug.

"I love you too, Mommy," the practically chorus. Kate's smile nearly splits her face as she hugs them so tightly they all let out groans. She pecks them each on the forehead before letting them go and standing up, making her way towards Alexis and Lukas.

"Good morning, Alexis," she says, kissing her stepdaughter's cheek in greeting. "And good morning to you, Luke," she coos to her grandson, who reaches out for her.

"Goo' mornin', Nana Kate," the 18-month-old replies, hugging her as she brings him into her own arms. She presses a kiss to his little cheek and passes him back, giving him a little wave.

"Have fun at school," she says to the four children. "Be safe."

"We will be," Alexis promises. "Bye, Dad. Bye, Kate."

"Bye, Pumpkin," Castle calls after his daughter as she leads the children down the hall, towards the elevator.

Kate and Castle watch them until they disappear, then he pulls her into the apartment and has her sit while he serves her coffee and multi-grain toast. While she eats, he changes into his clothes for the day and then they're off.

X_X

Their day is pretty sporadic after that. Depending on whether or not they have a case, Castle sits with her at the precinct and plays on his phone while she does paperwork, until three o'clock rolls around. If they don't have a case by then, he leaves to pick up the kids, kissing his wife goodbye and promising to have dinner ready for when she comes home.

Sometimes, Gates lets her off early so she can be there with him to greet RJ as he comes out of the school and give their daughters a nice surprise at the Daycare.

If they do have a case, then Castle calls Alexis and either she or her wife, Becca, will pick up the kids and bring them back to their place until five, when Castle will leave to pick them up on his way home.

On the days when they _do _have a case, Kate always does her best to make it home before bedtime, whether they've solved it or not, so she can kiss her babies goodnight and tuck them in.

On that Monday, there is no case; only paperwork. Still, Gates doesn't let them leave early.

**Tuesday**

Tuesdays are always a bit easier.

It takes a little less fussing for the girls to stop crying and Kate usually gets an average of ten minutes longer to do yoga before RJ bursts in.

They switch the girls and this time Castle has Joey dressed in a pink shirt and jeans before Kate has even thrown out the poopy diaper. He puts her hair up in pigtails and waits with her until Kate finally has Marti in a blue shirt and green skirt, with nude-colored tights. This time, he lets Kate get RJ up while he carries the girls downstairs for breakfast.

RJ is, once again, snoring when Kate enters, still in his underwear, not even _attempting _to get dressed yet. She laughs at how much he looks like his father, wakes him up with tickles, and has him dressed in a blue plaid shirt and jeans within minutes, before shepherding him down the stairs. Over breakfast, she goes over his homework with him, making sure he's got all his math and spelling correct, before heading off to dress herself for the day.

This time, she makes it out before they're even finished eating and grabs her own cup of coffee, finishing half of it before there's a knock at the door.

It's Becca this time, and she has the baby, Anna, strapped to her chest and Lukas in his stroller. Anna is only three-months old, but she's the happiest baby Kate has ever seen, and she looks just like Alexis, with big, shiny blue eyes and a dimpled grin as she smiles around her fist.

"Nana Kate!" Lukas exclaims and Kate smiles, leaning down to kiss his fair blonde hair.

She steps back so Castle can say hello to his grandkids and daughter-in-law, returning to hug and kiss her own children goodbye, handing each of them their lunches.

"I love you," she whispers to them.

"I love you too," they reply, in unison.

When they're gone, Kate returns to Castle, kissing him good morning—because she hadn't had the time while they were rushing around—before letting him go get ready for work.

At the precinct, there's no case. Gates lets them leave early to pick up their kids.

Marti and Joey scramble into her arms and she spins them around, reveling in their tiny chubby arms around her shoulders and their sweet-smelling hair. When RJ sees her, he grins brightly and runs towards her, wrapping his arms around her waist and burying his face into her abdomen while she runs her fingers through his hair.

On the way home, she holds Joey on her hip, while Castle holds Marti, and they each grasp their son's hand as they make their way back to the loft.

They make dinner together while RJ does his homework and the girls take their afternoon nap.

Tonight, instead of rushing off to a crime scene, Kate gives her daughters a bath in the big Jacuzzi tub while Castle bathes RJ in the upstairs bathroom. After that, Martha tells the three of them a story while Castle and Kate take their own shower—together.

Each child gets three bedtime kisses—one from Daddy, one from Mommy, and one from Gram. The girls get a nightlight, but RJ insists that he doesn't need one; that his Mommy and Gram are more than enough to scare all the monsters away.

"Hey," Castle whines, "what about _me_?"

"Daddy," RJ sighs, rolling his eyes, "you'd be too excited to scare them away. You'd wanna be their friend!"

He can't argue that point.

They leave the hall light on and RJ's door cracked, just in case.

**Wednesday**

Kate gets a call at around six in the morning, which means that shell miss their morning routine.

She lets Castle know before she gets out of bed and goes upstairs to kiss her babies goodbye. The girls start crying as she makes her way out of RJ's room and she rushes in to hush them and kiss them. Castle is there within seconds, having heard them through the bedroom door that Kate neglected to close. Kate changes Marti's diaper even as she fusses and places the toddler back into the crib after kissing her goodbye. She kisses Joey goodbye and then rushes out to get dressed, her heart breaking as Marti continues to wail.

Castle takes longer than usual to get the kids ready this morning, getting Joey dressed before the fussy Marti and then walking them both with him to RJ's room.

Today, RJ is awake when he gets there and is already in the middle of buttoning up his shirt. He never goes back to sleep if Kate leaves for a crime scene. Castle leads them all into the kitchen, feeds them and checks RJ's homework, before helping them all with their shoes and coats.

Becca is there again because Alexis had to go to the crime scene as well, as Perlmutter's successor at the ME's office. Anna is fussy today and doesn't smile much, but Becca says that's just because she has gas. Lukas is more energetic and bounces constantly in his stroller. Castle gives all three of the kids twice as many kisses as usual and sees them off, before returning to his room to get ready.

Kate texted him the address and he thankfully makes it there before they leave, his heart dropping as he sees the smaller-than-average body underneath the sheet.

Lanie and Alexis, who have _both _shown up, are both pale and grim-faced, as are Esposito, Ryan, and Kate, who falls into his embrace the second he offers it. Nobody blames her in the least.

The victim is 8-year-old Palmer Frank and her 5-year-old brother, Theodore Frank. Two missing children found buried in Central Park. Their parents are devastated, as are all the parents who showed up at the crime scene. Esposito is the one to tell the family because all Ryan or Kate or Castle can see is their own children. Esposito, of course, can see his own 4-year-old daughter, Nia, and even 2-year-old Christopher, but he's able to hold it together, which is more than can be said for his wife.

Lanie has a hard time with the autopsy and breaks down crying in the middle of it. It wasn't as hard, she says, as before she'd given birth, but now…now she feels the pain these kids' parents must be feeling.

But she gets through them, with Alexis' help. Alexis, who just recently had her own child through IVF with her wife of three years. Their first child, Lukas, was adopted just as they fertilized and if she lost either of them…

She doesn't even want to think about it.

The entire day is a nightmare after finding COD. There're no obvious suspects that their parents can think of. They follow a few leads about child predators, but they all lead nowhere; dead ends, all of them.

By five, Kate's ready to give up. Until…

Castle points out something as he's getting ready to leave and her eyes widen as if she's never quite heard something so genius. She plants a huge kiss on his lips before rounding up the boys and heading out, promising that she'll be home by seven, if everything goes as planned.

But it doesn't.

It's nearly ten when Castle gets the phone call. The kids have already been put to bed and given the usual excuse—Mommy's out slaying dragons (courtesy of Jordan Shaw)—and he's started to worry.

With this phone call, his worry turns into full-blown panic. He tells Martha to watch the kids and rushes out to the hospital, barreling through the emergency room doors and demanding they give him Kate's room number. The nurses, shocked and a tad frightened, do as told, and he runs as fast as he can.

Kate's sitting up on the bed, fully clothed, with a black eye and a bloody bandage around her bicep. She smiles weakly when he enters, crossing the room to check her out himself. His hands are gentle as they stroke her cheeks, checking her over for any unseen wounds or cuts or bruises. It seems that a black eye and that ugly looking graze on her arm are all the injury she sustained.

"We got him," she informs him, proudly. He was right; it was the uncle. The perverted pedophilic uncle who'd claimed to have been knocked out by an unknown perpetrator while the kids, whom he'd been babysitting, were kidnapped. He'd confessed to everything after less than an hour in the box. "Asshole didn't even have the common sense to ask for a lawyer," she adds, venomously.

The takedown, Kate says, had been the hardest part. They'd approached him at his home, her and Espo, and he'd invited them in, willingly, fixing them each a cup of coffee—which they'd pretended to drink—before attacking them with the same copper pipe that he'd used to bludgeon his niece and nephew when they wouldn't stop crying at his abuse. Kate surmised that the coffee had been drugged and he'd been planning to dispose of them after their bodies gave in to their influence, but he'd gotten impatient when they seemed to have no effect.

Kate had ended up with a black eye and the gash on her arm, but Esposito had come out with nearly a dozen bruised ribs and a chipped tooth. But they'd taken him down, gotten him to confess—not that they needed it—and booked him on assault, kidnapping, and first degree murder charges.

The case is now closed and Esposito had gone home with Lanie less than an hour ago, Kate insisting that they go see their own children and say goodnight.

Castle signs the discharge papers and they're off home before they know it.

**Thursday**

They arrive home sometime after midnight. Martha's sitting in the living room, reading, when they enter, and nearly tackles Kate in a hug.

"Oh, my dear!" she exclaims when she pulls back. "What happened?"

"Just a little altercation," Kate replies, trying not to wince. "Nothing to be too concerned about; happens all the time, right?" She turns to Castle for help and he nods.

"Right," he says. "She'll be fine, Mother."

"Did the kids wake up at all?" Kate asks, concerned. Martha shakes her head.

"They were all perfect little angels," the redhead tells her. "I didn't hear a single peep from any of them."

Kate smiles warmly at that. "I think I'm gonna go up and check on them," she tells Castle. "Kiss them goodnight."

He doesn't even argue; just nods and lets her go.

Kate's grateful for it, and drags herself up the stairs, entering first the girls' room. They're both in their cribs—which they're starting to get far too big for now—sleeping soundly on their tummies. She checks on Marti first and smiles when she sees the little girl sucking on her thumb, her dark brown hair covering most of her face. Kate leans down and places a gentle kiss on her head before moving to Joey's crib.

Joey is sleeping like Marti, but instead of her thumb, she has a pacifier in her mouth. They'd been trying to wean her off of them for the last couple of months, but they give in when the little girl has trouble relaxing. She figures that was the case tonight.

She places a kiss on her daughter's forehead and says a silent goodnight and 'I love you' before leaving the room.

In her son's room, RJ sleeps in his underwear, having never really taken to pajamas or any kind of clothing at night, and clutches the stuffed elephant Jim had given to him for his first birthday. It's missing an eye and has more than one patch from where Martha had sewn over rips and tears. Despite not liking to wear clothes, he loves to wrap himself up in blankets and looks like a little burrito, a look of serenity on his little face as he sleeps. Kate kneels next to the racecar bed and watches him for a few moments, watches as the blankets rise and fall with his even breaths, listens to the little snorts and murmurs he makes while he sleeps…

He's perfect in every way; to her, at least. But, then again, every mother thinks that her child is perfect. Or at least they should. She leans in, nuzzles his nose softly before kissing his forehead.

"I love you so much," she whispers, before standing and making her way out of the room. She spares him one last look before making her way downstairs.

She finds Castle in their bedroom, having locked up and sent Martha to bed already. He's sitting up against the headboard, waiting for her.

She collapses onto the bed and crawls up to lay her head in his lap. Castle automatically starts playing with her hair and she sighs, feeling herself drifting off, the dull pain in her arm not even enough to keep her from falling asleep.

She wakes up around six to the sound of giggles and whispers as Castle and the three children, all of whom are in pajamas, shuffle in. Castle's holding a tray topped with pancakes, eggs, and bacon—their usual _Sunday _breakfast—and RJ has a flower in his hand. She smiles tiredly at them as they enter and sits up so that her husband can place the tray in her lap. The little ones crawl up onto the bed so that they're sitting next to her, on their knees.

"Morning, Mommy," RJ says, kissing her cheek and giving her the flower.

"Morning, Baby," she says, kissing his cheek in return and pressing her nose into the flower. She recognizes it from the bunch that Martha had placed in a vase the day before. "What's this?" she asks.

"Breakfast!" Marti exclaims, knocking herself backwards onto the bed and bursting into giggles. Joey soon joins her and Kate can't help the amused grin that spreads over her features.

"Ooh," she said, rubbing her hands together. "It smells good. Did you make this, Mart?"

"No," Marti says. "Daddy did! But I made the toast!" She points to the slightly burnt toast on the left side of the tray.

"Ooh," Kate coos, kissing her nose. "That looks _so _good. Thanks, baby."

Marti smiles proudly.

"I poured the juice, Mommy!" Joey adds, pointing to the cup on the other side of the tray.

"Orange," Kate exclaims, "my favorite. Thanks, honey." She kisses Joey's cheek and the girl blushes.

Kate digs in, sharing her plentiful breakfast with her family until it's all gone and they're all—including Castle, lounging next to her in bed.

"Well," Kate says, starting to get up, "I better—"

"No, no, no," Castle says, pushing her back down gently. "You don't get up today."

"But I have work," Kate replies. "And we have to get the kids ready for school!"

"Not today, we don't," Castle replies. "Gates called and said that she would put you on suspension if you tried to show up after what happened last night. And I already called the Daycare and RJ's school; they're not expected back until tomorrow. Everybody's got the day off."

"Yay!" the girls exclaim and RJ pumps his fist in the air.

Kate sighs. "Can I at least get my pain meds? My eye is starting to hurt."

"I'll get them for you," Castle says, taking the tray from her lap as he stands. "Troop, follow me; atten_tion!_" The kids all simultaneously jumps out of the bed and stand straight and tall, marching after their father like little soldiers. Kate laughs, shaking her head as she watches them leave.

The rest of their day is spent on the couch, cuddled up all together, watching old Disney movies and giggling like children. Joey is cuddled in her mother's lap and RJ is pressed against her side. Marti is in Castle's lap and he's got his arm around Kate's shoulders, all covered under one big blanket. At around noon, Castle orders enough Chinese food to carry them through dinner and they pig out, taking a nap around four, still huddled together.

At six they eat the rest of their Chinese on the couch and it isn't until nearly nine when Castle takes the twins into their bathroom for a good soak in the tub, leaving RJ in Kate's care. They continue to watch TV in silence until the little boy suddenly speaks, nearly startling Kate.

"Mommy?" he asks in a small voice.

"Yes, baby?" Kate asks.

"What happened to your eye?" Kate's silent for a moment too long and he panics. "I know Daddy says we're not s'posed to ask, but it looks like it _really _hurts."

"It sorta does," Kate replies, only half-lying. It hurts like a bitch but she'd rather he not worry too much about her. "But only a little. The medicine helps some."

"You sure you don't need a kiss to make it all better?" RJ asks and her heart swells with love and adoration.

"It couldn't hurt," she replies and he stands up on the couch next to her, leaning forward to press his lips against her throbbing eye. Kate smiles and grabs him around the waist, pulling him until he's cradled in her arms like a baby. "My sweet little boy," she coos, kissing his nose.

"All better?" he asks, smiling up at her.

"All better," she replies, smiling down at him.

**Friday**

After seeing the kids back to school, Kate and Castle get ready, but not for work. Today, they're headed to a service for a little boy and a little girl, who were both taken far too soon.

The parents decided not to have a formal, open-casket wake and opted instead for a low-key funeral at a Westchester-based cemetery.

Castle and Kate dress all in black for the event and buy toys and flowers to lay on the caskets, which will be far too small for either of their liking.

When they arrive at the cemetery, they find several other members of the precinct already there.

Esposito and Lanie and Ryan and Jenny are all there. Jenny is holding their newborn son, Colin, firmly against her chest, tears already swimming in her eyes. The baby sleeps against her breast and Ryan leans down to press a kiss against his fair hair. Lanie's holding a handkerchief against her face, her body leaning heavily into her husband's. Esposito looks shaken as he holds his wife and a large bouquet of flowers.

When they see Castle and Beckett walk up, they greet them, sadly. Kate approaches Lanie and pulls her from Espo's embrace, into her own, her own eyes filled with tears. When the women pull away, the boys both embrace Kate and she welcomes it, absorbing some of their strength before turning to Jenny and giving her a watery smile. The baby in her arms fusses and Kate laughs, reaching down to stroke a little hand.

"Hi, sweetie," she coos. "Aw, Jen," she says, "he's getting so big; and he looks just like you." Jenny smiles and nods, unable to speak just yet.

Kate looks around and she can see Officer Hastings with her own boyfriend and other familiar cops. Gates is there, already speaking to the parents, who both look devastated. The mother, whose brother was the perpetrator, has their third and only living child on her hip, a boy about Joey and Marti's age. He looks confused about where he is and is staying close to his mother. Gates lays a comforting hand on the tearful woman's shoulder and Kate can read the 'I'm so sorry for your loss' on her lips.

When it's time to lower the caskets into the ground, every single cop walks up to pay their respects, laying toys and tiny games and mountains of flowers on the two tiny oak coffins.

Kate clutches Castle's hands and holds back sobs as she watches those babies, who barely even got to experience life, get lowered into the ground. She feels her heart break for them, for their parents, and for every child and their family who has ever had to go through this.

She _never _wants to go through this.

**X_X**

When they get home, they still have a couple more hours until they have to pick up the kids, and they spend those hours in bed, reaffirming life and making love and desperately trying to forget their own fears. Kate thinks, fleetingly, that she wouldn't mind having another child, but she'd rather not make that decision out of grief. She decides, though, that if she does happen to get pregnant, then she won't really care.

She and Castle go together to pick up the kids, as well as Nia and Christopher because Lanie doesn't think she'll be able to stop crying anytime soon, from the Daycare and elementary school.

They all play in the living room while Castle and Kate cook and talk among themselves. By the time dinner is ready, the Espositos and the Ryans arrive with dishes of their own. They have their usual Friday night dinner, all skillfully avoiding talking about that week's case, though Kate can still read the heartbreak in all of their eyes.

Sarah Grace talks about her violin lessons and RJ mentions his latest art project. Sinead, Ryan and Jenny's five-year-old daughter, talks excitedly about the song they learned in Kindergarten and the twins babble about a new game they learned with Christopher. Nia, as always, is the quiet observer, happy to just listen.

Kate looks around at the people around her, the adults that she's known for more than a decade, and the children she's known for the better part of that decade. She thinks about all the children that call her Auntie Kate and knows that she'd be devastated to lose any one of these beautiful souls. Colin gurgles against Jenny's chest and Kate's smile widens as he struggles to turn his head, blinking up at her from across the table. She gives him a tiny wave and blows a kiss. She swears he smiles in return, but it could just be gas.

She sighs. Tomorrow, they'll be having dinner with Alexis, Becca, and the grandkids (God, she is too young for grandkids just yet) and the thoughts currently running through her head will be on repeat. But she'll try not to focus on them. She'll try to look as happy as she seems—as happy as she _is._

Because she _is _happy. Happier, in fact, than she'd ever thought she'd be. Ten years ago, she would have never thought she'd actually make it here; with a wonderful husband, three children, two grandchildren, and a full, loving, _complete _family.

Ten years ago, she was only just imagining what a life with Castle would be like. Back then she had doubts that she could ever be truly happy with somebody like him.

Now? She has no doubts. Because as hellish as this week has been—as many scars and bruises as the last decade has brought about her—she's honestly never been happier.

**Okay, so I know I only did the weekdays, but I didn't think I could really go on after that last sentence. I thought that was a good place to exit. What do you think? REVIEW!**


	16. Chapter 16

**So this prompt will probably be pretty cool. I hope you enjoy.**

**Prompt: Instead of Johanna Beckett, Martha Rodgers is murdered, leaving behind her son and granddaughter. Homicide detective Kate Beckett and her team are on the case. Role reversal/Alternate meeting AU.**

"Daddy, where's Gram?" Alexis asks as he drags himself through the door later that night. They were supposed to have dinner, all three of them, after his mother's class, but she'd never shown. He hadn't really been worried, however, as his mother was known to be 'fashionably late' to almost every occasion. He'd actually been quite angry at her, considering they were supposed to be celebrating _her _belated birthday. Alexis had even bought a small cake with her own money.

A cake that now sits in the fridge, untouched; they would probably never eat it now.

Castle tries to give his eight-year-old a smile, but to no avail. There's no smiling after you lose a parent, no matter how much the two of you have bickered all your life. He smiles—or grimaces—instead, at the babysitter, a young, skinny, knobby-kneed girl named Rina, who sits awkwardly on the couch, watching some Disney movie with Alexis while she lies on her tummy on the floor, her legs swinging back and forth.

Digging some money out of his pocket, he hands it to the teen and thanks her for coming on such short notice. It's nearly three AM and while it's not even a school night, he knows her parents are probably pissed at him for dragging their daughter out of bed so late. Alexis shouldn't even be up, but he knows that she has trouble sleeping when he's visibly not in the house.

After Rina leaves, he plucks her off the floor and she doesn't resist, melting into his embrace as he walks around the first floor, turning off lights and the television before making his way upstairs. Alexis is silent while he tucks her in, curling her little body around her stuffed monkey.

"Where's Gram?" she asks, quietly, for the second time that night. Castle sighs, looking away. He's promised himself, from the time she was born, that he'll never ever lie to her—Santa and the Easter Bunny and Tooth Fairy notwithstanding. But this…he's not sure how he's going to tell her that the only woman who's really been there for them their entire lives is gone. Robbed, stabbed three times, and left in a pile of trash behind a Broadway theater to bleed out.

"Gram," he says, trying to keep his voice even, "Gram passed away tonight, Alexis."

The little girl's eyes, as predicted, automatically fill with tears, her head shaking in denial. Castle opens his arms for her and she crawls into them, sobbing against his shoulder as she sobs. It takes all of Castle's strength to keep from crying himself.

"Shh," he whispers into her red hair, "sh, it's okay, Pumpkin. Everything's going to be alright."

"How?" Alexis croaks, looking up at him, her eyes puffy and red.

"What?" Castle asks, not quite understanding the question.

"How did she die?" The word 'die' causes his heart to clench in pain. "She wasn't sick, was she?"

Castle shakes his head, sadly. "No, Pumpkin," he says, honestly. "She wasn't sick. She…you remember what I told you about the bad people? About how you have to be very careful because—"

"You never know who they're gonna be," Alexis finishes for him, nodding. "I remember; did they hurt her?"

Castle nods, sadly. "They did," he croaks, unable to keep the tears out of his eyes. Alexis's eyes refill with tears and she clutches him, burying her face in his neck as he rocks back and forth, sobs wracking his body.

"I'm sorry," he hears her whisper into his ear after a while and then he gives a watery laugh. His sweet, intelligent, selfless little baby girl; overlooking her own pain to make sure that he's okay.

After a while, she falls asleep in his arms and he lays her down, tucking her in for the third time that night. He watches her sleep for a few moments and wonders how often his mother did the same thing when he was growing up. How many times did he wake up to her smiling face as she stroked his hair and sang good morning to him? Too many to count.

He finds that he really doesn't want to leave his daughter; he's too scared of what might happen, no matter how ridiculous it may seem. He doesn't want to think about losing her or about the possibility of her losing him and having nobody but a mother who never seems to have enough time for her.

So, he stays. Her bed is big enough for him to curl up next to her, his arm over her waist, protectively as he drifts off, listening to her deep, even breaths and allowing them to lull him to sleep.

**X_X**

"Katie?" Johanna Beckett's voice startles her daughter as she enters the small, cramped office. Kate looks up from the crime scene photos she'd been studying, desperate to find any clue that could lead to an arrest, but finding none. She'd have to wait until Lanie finished the autopsy tomorrow morning. Her mother is standing in the doorway, leaning against the jamb, giving her that usual concerned look that she usually got when Kate came back from a hard day at work.

She still doesn't know that today may very well have been Kate's hardest day on the job. Only four months ago, she'd made Homicide, transferring over from Vice after a nearly two year stint (of which she'd spent many a night dressed as a hooker named Candi) and most of her cases had been simple open and shut ones, but this one…

This one makes no sense. The woman killed, a small-time, once Tony-nominated actress named Martha Rodgers, was found in a back alley, about six blocks from the restaurant she'd been expected to meet her son and granddaughter at, her purse emptied and three stab wounds to the chest and abdomen. It had appeared, at first sight, as a mugging gone wrong but now…well, now Kate wasn't so sure.

She'd met with the woman's son, who was also, coincidentally, her and her mother's favorite author, Richard Castle, and he'd seemed devastated, nearly collapsing in the morgue at the sight of his mother's body.

Kate had taken his statement and found herself holding his hand to lend him some form of comfort. He'd taken it, clutching her hand like a lifeline as they sat in the break room at the Twelfth Precinct, drinking coffee and talking quietly. Her partner, Javier Esposito, who'd recently transferred from the 54th, stayed out of their way, trying to dig up everything he could based on what Mr. Castle told them about his mother's friends and possible enemies. Esposito and Captain Montgomery were certain that it was just a simple mugging, but Kate wanted to make absolutely certain.

Now it's three AM, she's just drained her third cup of coffee since she arrived home, and her mother's giving her _that _look that means she's about ten seconds from snatching the files from her hands. Kate sighs and closes the manila folder, leaning back in the creaky desk chair and rubbing the fatigue from her eyes. She hears her mother's cane thump softly against the scratchy wooden floors as she makes her way around the desk, before she feels the gentle hand in her hair, stroking the stress away. Kate smiles up at her mother, tiredly, and allows the older woman to help her to her feet and embrace her. In her heels, Kate is about three inches taller, but she knows that the second they come off, her and Johanna can meet eye to eye—in the physical sense, anyway.

Despite both of her parents being civil lawyers and Kate having had been on that same track during school, she'd suddenly switched her major to criminal justice after her mother's own mugging and attempted murder. Thankfully, she'd had help in the form of Captain Roy Montgomery—just a Detective back then—who'd shot the perp right where he stood, effectively saving Johanna.

But not before the jackass had gotten a good dig into her mother's spinal thigh. The stab had left Johanna slightly crippled, but other than the limp and the need to walk with a cane, Johanna lived a perfectly normal life and Kate felt as if she owed the good Detective for saving her mother's life.

And so, she works under him, his 'star Detective' as he teases. He and Johanna had uncovered a conspiracy, sending a very influential politician to prison for a great many years and Kate found herself wanting to do that; wanting to dedicate her life to the greater good. She had no doubt that she could do that following in her parents' footsteps, but she felt that she would be doing more as a cop; keeping the murderers off the streets and finding justice for the families of victims of violent crime.

But _damn _is it hard, Kate thinks to herself as she follows her mother out of her office. While her father, Jim, is upstate at the family cabin, 'getting a little fishing in' before Autumn arrives, Johanna had felt it would be a good chance for her and Kate to bond and is now staying in Kate's spare—and also very tiny—bedroom. Kate's own room is about twice the size and she already offered it to her mother, but Johanna refused to allow Kate to sleep any less comfortably, especially when she was still expected to go to work every morning.

"Hard day?" Johanna asks, leading Kate to her bedroom, the cane carrying on its steady thump, thump, thump.

Kate nods as she disappears into her closet, returning in a tank top and shorts. "Martha Rodgers was murdered tonight," she informs her mother, quietly. Johanna's eyes widen at that.

"Richard Castle's mother?" the older woman asks and Kate nods. "Oh, that poor man; that poor woman. How did it happen?"

"Stabbed," Kate replies, entering the en suite and picking up her toothbrush. "In an alley behind the Richard Rodgers theater, ironically enough."

Johanna tuts, following her into the bathroom and picking up her own toothbrush. They brush together, bumping shoulders every now and then, the older and younger images of each other, matching green eyes and slightly different shades of long brown hair. The only big difference, besides the wrinkles under Johanna's eyes, is that little mole on Kate's cheek, near her ear. 'Katie's beauty mark' Johanna had dubbed it, kissing it at every bedtime.

"It's proof of your extraordinary beauty, Katie Bug," she'd said once.

"Where's _your _beauty mark, Mommy?" Baby Kate replied, green eyes wide and curious.

Johanna opened her mouth to answer, but was interrupted by her husband as he entered the room. "Hers is in a very different place, Katie, but it's _every _bit as beautiful as yours."

"Jim!" Johanna giggled, blushing slightly when she realized what he meant by that. She gave him a withering look, making sure that Kate couldn't see it before turning back to kiss the girl goodnight.

Kate spits into the sink before washing off the brush and gargling water, stepping away from the sink and walking back to her bed.

"Javi says it was just random but..."

"You're not so sure?" Johanna asks, limping after her. Kate nods, plopping down on her bed.

"She wasn't dressed in any particular way," Kate says. "The coat she was wearing had patches on it and her son said that she'd been saving up for a new one, which was apparently uncharacteristic because _he _usually bought her clothes that she needed."

"Why was she wearing a coat in the first place?" Johanna asks. "It's stifling outside."

Kate's eyes suddenly widen at that as she considers her mother's words. She turns to her mother, a smile widening on her features.

"Mom, you're a genius!" she exclaims, before running back towards her closet.

"Katie, where are you going?" she asks as she watches her daughter grab a button up and a pair of jeans.

"The precinct," Kate replies, starting to change. "I have to—"

"No."

"What?" Kate turns to Johanna, confusion etched on her face. "But I have to—"

"What you _have _to do," Johanna says firmly, "is go to sleep. You've been up for nearly 24 hours now, Kate; it's time for bed."

"But, Mom," Kate practically whines. "The coat—"

"Will still be there tomorrow," Johanna finishes for her. "Now put those clothes down and get to bed."

"Mom, come on, I—"

"One…"

"Mom, I'm twenty-four years old, I'm not gonna—"

"_Two_…" Johanna holds up two fingers and Kate groans, throwing the clothes to the floor and stomping, childishly, to her bed, sliding beneath the covers.

"Happy?" she grouses and Johanna chuckles.

"Very," she says, walking over to kiss her daughter's forehead. "Goodnight, Katie Bug," she says, "I love you." Kate can't suppress a small smile at that.

"I love you too, Mom," she replies softly. Johanna gives her one more bright smile before limping out of the room.

"If I hear that front door open before seven o'clock," she says, "you're gonna be in _very _big trouble, young lady."

Kate rolls her eyes. "Good _night_, Mom," she calls after her mother. Johanna laughs, shutting the light as she makes her way back to the guest room.

Kate leaves at exactly 7:03 that morning.

**X_X**

Castle wakes up to little hands patting his cheeks and opens his eyes to see a pair of shiny, bright blue ones staring down at him. He hums in question.

"Get up!" Alexis orders. "There's somebody at the door and she says she's the police!"

He wakes up immediately, sitting up and nearly sliding off the silk sheets of the canopy bed. He's still dressed in his clothes from the night before, which are now horribly wrinkled, but he doesn't seem to care as he races through the apartment, his daughter trailing after him, clutching her stuffed monkey, all the way to the door, which is, thankfully, closed.

There's another knock at the door as he approaches.

"Mr. Castle?" the voice of the—admittedly, very attractive—female Detective floats through and Castle attempts to make himself look presentable before unlocking and opening the door.

If possible, Detective Beckett looks even more flawless than the evening before, when she'd met him at the morgue, grim-faced and sympathetic. She's about a decade younger than him, but she is probably much more mature than he'll ever be.

"Detective Beckett," he greets with a nod. "What do I owe this visit this morning?" His voice is tight, attempting to keep himself from asking if they found something on his mother's case—at least in front of his daughter, who's far too young to hear about it.

"I—" Her eyes flit down to Alexis, who's peeking out from behind his legs and she offers a kind smile. "Well, hello there," she greets. "You must be Alexis." Kate holds out her hand for Alexis to shake. "I'm Kate."

Alexis blinks at the hand, looking at it with caution, before looking up at her father, who nods.

"It's alright, Pumpkin," he says. "She doesn't bite."

"Much," Kate adds, jokingly, coaxing a grin from both Castles. Alexis steps out from behind her father's legs, Monkey Bunkey still clutched in her left hand, and grasps Kate's outstretched hand with her own.

"Nice to meet you," Alexis says, politely. Kate smiles wider.

"Likewise," she says, before looking up at Castle. "Mind if I come in?"

Castle nods, moving aside. Alexis, still attached to his leg, moves with him, watching as the female detective with the really tall heels steps into their loft, her eyes scanning the entire room as if committing every corner and piece of art to memory.

"Have you found anything new to go on?" he asks and she turns to him, her face stoic.

"Maybe we shouldn't…" She nods to Alexis and he gets it immediately.

"Pumpkin?" he says, kneeling down at his daughter's eye-level. "Why don't you go play in your room while Det—_Kate_ and I talk, huh?"

"But, Daddy," Alexis protests.

"No buts," Castle replies, firmly. "I'll call you down when breakfast is ready."

Alexis sighs. "Fine," she says, pouting dramatically, hoping that her father will buy it, but Castle smartly looks away and she turns, trumping up the stairs.

When he hears the door close, Castle turns back to Kate and she's surprised at how defeated the usually charming and ruggedly handsome writer looks, his jaw shadowed with scruff and easily discernible bags underneath his eyes.

He tries to hide it with a polite smile. "Coffee?" he offers and she nods.

"Yes, thank you," she says. "It's been a long night."

He laughs humorlessly. "You're telling me."

"Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to—"

"Naw," Castle says, feeling bad. "It's alright. It's just…it's been rough, you know?"

Kate nods. "I understand," she says. "My own mother…well, she went through something similar."

"She did?" Castle replies. "Was she…?"

Kate shakes her head. "She was lucky to have somebody nearby, but she lost the use of a few thigh muscles. She walks with a limp now, but she's still as strong as ever."

Castle nods, turning away to start the coffee machine. As it brews, he and Kate sit at the island. She pulls out a rather thick file and places it on the counter.

"Now," she says, "these are pretty gruesome, and I don't know if you can handle—"

"I'm fine," Castle assures her. "I've done a lot of research; seen a lot of dead bodies."

"But none of them have been your own blood," Kate points out. "Makes it much harder."

"I'll be okay," he insists. Kate just nods in return as she slips the photos out of the file, showing him first the coat that had led her to this visit today and then his mother's body, wearing the coat in the alley. She can see the anguish flash in his eyes before it's gone and he looks up at her, questioningly.

"The coat," she says. "Last night I didn't even question it, but then my mother mentioned something that—"

"Your mother?" Castle asks, tilting his head to the side.

Kate nods, finding herself blushing. "She's staying with me," she informs him, "for the week and I was going over these last night and she pointed out something interesting about this coat."

"What about it?" Castle asks.

"Just that last night it was about ninety degrees and this coat…well, it's far too heavy for a humid summer night, don't you think?"

She watches as the gears start turning in his head, watches the look of confusion flash through his eyes. "Why was she wearing it?" he asks, aloud, but not really towards her.

"That's what I said," Kate replies, "and it occurred to me to look through the pockets—which I neglected to do last night because she was carrying her purse. And I found a few things that I'd like to know if they're of any significance." She reaches into her blazer pocket and pulls out the small evidence bags, showing them to him. She'd gotten special permission from Montgomery to take them from the Precinct after she mentioned that Mr. Castle would most likely not want to bring his daughter around, what with the murder board still up and all, especially with his eight-year-old daughter. So long as she brought them back, Montgomery told her she could take them.

There are three bags. In the first is a small barrette with what looks to be a sparkly ladybug on it and Castle chuckles.

"Alexis gave that to her," he says, "for good luck. Mother never put on a show or taught a class without it."

Kate smiles and hands it to him, allowing him to look it over while she pulls out the next one.

"Do you recognize this?" she asks, holding out the bag with the silver thimble in it. Castle's smile is a reminiscent one as he reaches for it.

"My grandmother's," he informs her. "My, uh, grandparents were 'fortune tellers' on Coney Island and my grandmother made all of their costumes and she tried to teach my mother to sew, but…well, my mother's talents lied elsewhere. But she still kept this silly little thimble of her mother's and told me thousands of stories about her when I was little, about her psychic abilities and the magic she did with her hands." He places the bag on the counter. "I'd almost forgotten about it."

Kate nods, giving him a moment to grieve before placing the last, and most curious item in front of him. "And this?" she asks.

She'd found the little silver key in a rip in the lining in her pocket, which wasn't too unusual, considering the coat itself had seen better days. But from the look in his eyes, Castle was confused by its appearance.

"What is that?" he asks, peering at it closer.

"A key I found in her pocket," Kate informs him. "You don't recognize it?" he shook his head.

"Not at all," he says. "As far as I knew, my mother had two keys; one for her apartment and one for whatever studio she was teaching at; she didn't need any other keys. And that one…it's too small to be for either of those places."

"I was hoping you'd say that," Kate says, replacing the evidence bags in her pocket.

"Why?" Castle asks. "What does it mean?"

"It means," says Kate, "that there might have been a motive behind your mother's murder after all."

**I MIGHT continue this but I'm not certain yet. Anybody who wants to is more than welcome to use this as a starting chapter so long as they credit me as a source.**

**Otherwise, please REVIEW!**


	17. Chapter 17

**I promise y'all that I'm gonna put that role reversal story on the backburner right now and make it a full length later on but I would like to keep up the fluffy, short-ish one shots here and make it to 75,000 words. This way I'll be able to expand the story and go through backgrounds without too much exposition in one chapter (as I felt was done in the last chapter). But, for now, I'm just gonna stick to one shots. Cool?**

**Prompt: Kate steals Castle's sweaters, one by one.**

He noticed it the week after they started dating; his favorite hoodie—the crimson one with 'Brooklyn' scrawled across it in white block letters—was missing. He looked everywhere for it—the living room, the kitchen, the front hall closet, the deep corners of his walk-in (or 'metro-sexual utopia' as Kate put it) and even Alexis's room (she was always taking his sweaters because she was usually too lazy to walk upstairs to her own bedroom), but he could not find it.

So he started thinking back to the last time he saw it. It must've been two nights ago when his mother and Alexis were both out for the night, when he and Kate were making good use of the empty loft and being as loud as possible without disturbing the neighbors.

Afterwards, they'd been hungry and left the bedroom—okay his office—in search of sustenance. Castle was more than happy to walk around in his boxers only, but Kate required a little more so she disappeared into his room while he wandered into the kitchen.

He expected her to put on one of his shirts—she tended to favor the white ones he never really liked to wear (they were too easy to stain)—but, instead, he surprised him by walking out, practically swimming, in his hoodie. It went down all the way to her knees (in actuality, it was probably much too big for him, as well) and her hands pretty much vanished.

It was incredibly hot.

Castle remembered telling her such and her just giving him a saucy little smile and a wink in return, which made his grin widen as he resisted the urge to take her right there and then, wearing his sweater. Instead, he rustled up a couple stacks of chocolate chip pancakes, shaped like bunnies ("Wow Castle; real mature," she'd teased) and they took turns being all cutesy and feeding each other.

After that, they went for another round and quickly changed before Martha and Alexis got back, making themselves comfortable on the couch, a respectable distance from one another so that when the redheads entered, it looked as if they were just hanging out, 'as friends'.

After that, he couldn't really say…

His eyes widened as he realized; she'd left with it. She'd kept that hoodie on the entire night because he'd ripped her shirt and she needed something to cover herself with. She'd told Martha and Alexis that she was just cold and nobody even batted an eye when she left with it still on, making eyes at Castle behind the redheads' back and blowing him a cute little kiss, which he then pretended to catch and rub all over his face.

God, he forgot how sickening new couples could be…he loved it!

But Kate had his hoodie! His _favorite _hoodie! And she'd stolen it right under his nose!

Well, okay, it wasn't _that _big of a deal. After all, every girlfriend he'd ever had had worn his shirts and hoodies and even his socks on occasion, so it shouldn't have been a big deal, right?

Wrong! Because this was not just any woman; this was Kate. Freaking. _Beckett._

The same Beckett who used to twist his ear and pinch his nose. The exact same Beckett who did everything she could to get rid of him for the first year they worked together. The same Beckett whom he fell in love with practically the second he met her. She was no ordinary woman.

She was _extraordinary_—as cheesy as that sounded.

And she stole his sweater! He decided to let it slide, especially since she looked so sweet in it. He didn't even mention it the next time she wore it around her house—after four glorious rounds that, once again, left them starving.

But while Beckett had changed, her avoidance of grocery shopping hadn't and they'd ended up ordering in. But even as he fed her a piece of coconut shrimp, he promised to cook her a wonderful meal one day, in that kitchen, and he pictured her sitting at the island, wrapped in his sweater, watching him as he stirred sauce.

It was an image that came to life two weeks later, right after he dropped Alexis and Martha off at the airport for their summer-long tour through Europe, promising to Skype and call every single day until they returned. It had been unusually cold for July, so he'd shown up in a thinner, navy zip-up sweat jacket, which he'd immediately stripped as soon as he got inside and kissed Kate hello.

She'd led him to the kitchen, where she laid out every single one of her stainless steel pots and pans—which he surmised had been barely even used since she bought them—and taught him how to work her old-fashioned oven. By the time he was in full swing, with a pot of water boiling and tomatoes on the chopping block, she was already slipping into the sweater, claiming to be cold, even though it was hotter in her apartment than it likely was outside.

He didn't mention it, though; just smiled at her and kissed her forehead as he passed, telling her that she looked cute today as she helped him chop vegetables, her hair up in a messy bun.

After they ate, they retired to the living room, her still wearing his sweater as they lounged, bloated and lazy, on the couch, watching television. Before long, they were starting to drift and she pulled him into the bedroom to sleep. They didn't even attempt to make love until the next morning, but that was more than okay with him.

After that, they moved all of their leftovers to his place, where they stayed—on and off—for the next couple of weeks. And every single time she left, another one of his sweaters went missing. It wasn't just the hoodies, either—his cashmere sweaters, his so-called 'preppy' sweaters, and that 'Best Dad Ever' sweatshirt that Alexis got him last Father's Day.

They all disappeared.

And he knew exactly where they went. He didn't mention it, outright, of course. Just complained that it was chilly a lot; said, very loudly and clearly, that he wished he had something to warm him up a little…

After a few dropped hints, she turned to him and, with a straight face said, "You mean sex, don't you?"

His eyes widened only a fraction before he agreed that yes, sex _would _help him warm up a little, even though that wasn't what he meant.

But he got sex and he was more than happy to accept it. And Kate seemed all too happy to give it.

He forgot all about his sweaters.

Well, until about a week before she was set to go back to work, anyway. She showed up at his house, unexpected, with a large cardboard box, and nearly gave him a heart attack with the grim look on her face. He could swear that there were some decidedly unmanly tears starting to well up in his eyes as he looked down at her, his chin quivering and his heart breaking.

"What the hell is wrong with _you_?" Kate asked, giving him a bewildered look. "I'm just returning your sweaters." She pushed the box towards him and he took it, confused.

"Wh-why?" he asked, tilting his head, fighting the thankful smile and bubble of happiness welling up in his chest.

"Because," Kate said, "they're dirty and…" she mumbled something under her breath.

"What was that?" he asked, tilting his ear towards her.

Kate rolled her eyes and took a deep breath. On the exhale she said, very quickly, "Because they don't smell like you anymore."

The grin on Castle's face made her want to slap him, but before she could so much as reach for his ear, he was gathering her up in his arms, kissing the living daylights out of her right in the middle of his hallway, his arms banded tightly around her waist. Kate smiled into that kiss, nibbling slightly on his bottom lip as it slowed.

When he finally let her go, there was a goofy grin on her face.

"What was that for?" she asked.

"For being as big a sap as I am," Castle replied, smiling.

Kate rolled her eyes again. "Not even close, Writer Boy," she replied, but she was biting her lip and giving him that adorable little quirk of the lips and he just…

He kissed her again, soft and sweet this time, his thumb caressing her left cheek, before pulling back.

"I love you," he whispered in the inch of space between their lips. Kate smiled at that.

"I know," she said, nuzzling his nose. She couldn't say it back yet, he knew, but he knew that they meant more than any relationship he'd ever had before. And that was enough.

For now.

**REVIEWS please! Also, I'm taking prompts, but please make them able to fit in a chapter that would be under 7,000 words. Fluffy, smutty (but not kinky, if you know what I mean) head canon, future, AU, etc. All are welcome but I don't want to try to squeeze something that should be its own fic into such a small space where justice couldn't be served. Thank you.**


	18. Chapter 18

**Interestingly enough, I am in class and should be taking notes right now but I am instead providing another chapter for your reading pleasure. Enjoy!**

**Prompt: Beckett finds out that Castle has already seen 'Forbidden Planet'**

When movie night comes around, usually once or twice a week—when there's no case—they always take turns and usually it's a movie that just recently came out on DVD or an old favorite.

Castle learned early on that Kate had a soft spot for cheesy romantic comedies, while he tended to go for Sci-Fi or cute animated Disney or Dreamworks movies (they've seen Lilo & Stitch at least thrice since getting together).

One night, when it's her turn, Kate feels like an older movie and starts rifling through his collection (which he aptly named 'The Archives') of video cassettes, making a small pile of possible choices as she goes. Castle, for his part, leaves her to her devices as he makes popcorns and covers the couch with blankets and fluffy pillows, making it somewhat like a nest for them to cuddle in.

He barely registers Kate's overly loud gasp of surprise as she pulls one particular video out, running her fingers delicately over the worn case cover and furrowing her eyebrows.

It's far too old to be recently bought—or even bought in the last decade—and no movie is really available on video anymore, anyway. But he'd _told her _that he never saw it before! And he'd let her treat him to the movie, that _ass_!

"Castle!" she suddenly fumes, causing him to nearly trip as he turns towards her, his foot catching in a long blanket that draped to the floor.

"What?" he asks, worriedly. Kate holds up the video and he immediately wants to kick himself; he knew he was forgetting something! "Uh…I can explain."

"Oh, I can't wait to hear this," Kate snorts, turning to him and sitting with her legs folded beneath her and her arms crossed over her chest.

"I…uh…I…uh…"

Kate rolls her eyes. "Wow, Castle," she says, cracking a grin. "_Real_ eloquent."

She stands, making her way over to him and she swears that he flinches when she stops less than a foot in front of him, one brow raised teasingly, the video still in her hands. She says nothing, though; just watches him sweat it a little.

Finally, he speaks:

"I'm sorry I lied to you," he says with a sad little sigh.

"I'm not mad about _that_," she says. "Well, actually, I _am, _but not nearly as annoyed as the fact that you let me pay for your ticket _and _your popcorn."

"'Let' you?" Castle snorts, grinning. "Beckett, I _offered _to pay for myself. In fact, I _insisted _on it, but you wouldn't let me. Kept saying that I always paid when we went out, so I just gave up."

"Pretty quickly, if you ask me," Kate teased, her eyes twinkling. Castle rolled his eyes before leaning down to press a quick peck to her lips.

"So you're not angry?" he asked.

Kate shook her head. "Just annoyed."

"You're _always _annoyed with me," Castle sighs.

"True," Kate agrees. "And I have a feeling I _always _will be."

**Short but sweet I think. REVIEW! Gotta get back to Math!**


	19. Chapter 19

**I got a good prompt that I really liked, so I'mma share it with you guys. Enjoy!**

**Prompt: Caskett is canon in 3x07 and are woken up by Martha and Alexis doing breathing exercises.**

For the better part of the last decade, Kate Beckett has been a particularly light sleeper.

At first, it was an after effect of her mother's murder, worry that the 'muggers' who'd killed her were coming after Kate and her father next—but they never showed. And then it was because of her training at the Academy and the fact that she had to be ever alert—especially if she wanted to make Detective. She sleeps with a gun in the drawer in her bedside table or—if she's spending the night on the couch in the break room—with it fastened to her hip or in easy reach of her right hand.

So when she's awoken by what sounds like wailing cats or something of the like, she immediately grabs for the piece, only to find that it's not there. Then she remembers…

She's at Castle's. Since their trip to the Hamptons the previous summer (of which her weekend off had been extended to two full weeks) they've been…well, for lack of a better word, _together._ In every way imaginable. And Kate hadn't felt this bubbly happiness in _years_.

It's his arm that acts as a weight over her hip as she struggles to sit up and scramble over his body to the bedside table that _did _hold her weapon (how did they even get switched?) but ends up kneeing him in the ribs instead.

Castle wakes with a groan, his arms wrapping around the woman currently above him, who attempts to wriggle out of his grasp.

"Kate?" he says, groggily. "What're you doin'?"

"I heard something," she hisses in reply. "I think there's an in—"

The same sound enters the room for a second time, louder than the last, and sounds even more like wailing cats practicing for an opera. Castle groans.

"It's just my crazy mother," he sighs, glancing at the alarm clock on his bedside. "What on earth is she doing up at five in the morning?" He lets Kate slide down to the bed and sits up, already reaching for his robe to cover up the simple t-shirt and boxers he'd worn to bed. Kate scrambles after him, donning his extra robe (she had yet to bring her own robe with her) and catching up to him, smiling as he pulls her against his body, using her as an anchor to rest his weight against.

When they enter the living room, they see not only Martha, but Alexis as well. The redheads face each other and Martha leads in making those god-awful sounds as Alexis repeats after her, her eyes begging them for help over Martha's shoulder.

"You know," he says, causing his mother to turn around, "I was having this really great dream. I was laying on a lily pad, my gorgeous girlfriend laid up against me, a clear blue sky above us, watching the clouds; it was magical."

Martha smiles as Kate blushes, leaning further against him. "It sounds it," she replies. "So…what are you doing up?"

"Suddenly, the clouds in that beautiful blue sky became a bunch of wailing cats _falling _from the sky," Castle says with a pointed look. Martha's face falls.

"Oh," she says, furrowing her brows.

"We're doing voice exercises," Alexis informs him with a tired look. "And abdominal breathing." Her eyes scream out for help and Kate leaves his side to join her on the couch; his heart nearly melts as the young redhead leans into the brunette's side, the two girls starting to doze already.

"At five AM?" Castle asks his mother with an incredulous look.

"In preparation," she replies, "of an inspiring audition." She taps Alexis's chin and the girl gives her a sleepy smile. Castle rubs his eyes as he plops down next to his daughter, the girl now wedged between him and his girlfriend.

"I may have told Gram last night that I was thinking about trying out for _Grease _at my school," Alexis mumbles in his ear, before her head falls to his shoulder, Kate's falling to hers, like a pair of dominoes.

"Oh," Castle says, in understanding. "The old 'Gram-goes-overboard-because-acting-is-in-your-bones' routine?"

"Apparently," Alexis sighs.

Castle shakes his head. "Rookie move," he tisks.

"Shuddup, Castle," Kate says, tiredly, weakly hitting his back. "Don't tease her."

If he were more awake, he might have just awed at the way she was so quick to defend his daughter, but as it was five AM and he was in a losing battle to keep his eyes open, he didn't even make an attempt.

"I didn't know she'd wake me up when it was still dark outside," Alexis groans, just as Martha returns to the living room with a steaming cup of coffee in her hands.

"An actor," she says, "learns to make sacrifices for his craft. Besides, we'll all have _plenty _of time to sleep when we're dead."

At that, the three simultaneously let out yawns.

Suddenly, the phone Kate had slipped into her pocket rings and she moans, reaching for it and placing it to her ear.

"Beckett," she says, sleepily. She listens for a moment, then begins to knock her forehead lightly against Alexis's shoulder. "No, don't be silly," she says, after a pause, "of course I was up." She looks over Alexis's shoulder with a pair of wide, sorrowful eyes. "Yeah, I'll grab him and we'll be there in twenty."

When she hangs up the phone, Castle is half-convinced that Kate's about to throw herself to the floor in a tantrum by the look on her face. But, instead, she stands, her hand stroking Alexis's hair fleetingly, before she starts tugging at Castle's arm.

"Come on, Writer Boy," she says, "we've got a body."

**REVIEWS please!**


	20. Chapter 20

**Okay so this is a prompt I gave myself because I had a dream that woke me up with the feels I got. Enjoy!**

**Prompt: Castle gets Kate a puppy for their first anniversary.**

"Keep your eyes closed, honey," Castle says, leading his wife into the living room, with his hands on her hips.

"They're closed, Castle," Kate laughs, pressing her hands to her eyes as she feels him pushing her from behind, his thumbs softly stroking her swollen belly. She feels his head next to her and imagines him checking her eyes to make certain they're closed.

Obviously satisfied, he says nothing else, stopping presumably in the middle of the living room and letting go of her hips, stroking one gentle hand over her belly before disappearing completely.

She hears him fumbling with something, then a bunch of taps that sound like they're on the tile floor in the kitchen. Peeking one eye slightly open, she gasps at the sight before her.

"A puppy?" she practically squeaks, and Castle's face practically caves in on itself.

"You weren't supposed to look!" he whines and she rolls her eyes, but can't stop the adoring smile at the sight of the chocolate lab puppy at the end of his bright red leash, his tongue lolling out, looking adorable with a large blue bow on his head.

Kate walks over to sit on the couch, patting her lap to get the puppy's attention and he, in turn, trots over to her, placing his large paws on her knees and reaching up to lick her face. Kate chuckles, stroking the silky smooth fur behind his ears.

"I can't believe you got me a puppy," she practically coos, looking down at the dog. "Especially when we're about to have a _baby_ soon, Castle. Did you even think about that?" Now, she's attempting to sound upset but she can't seem to do it with a puppy licking at her face.

"Of course I did," Castle insisted. "I did all the research; it's perfectly safe and healthy for a baby to grow up with a pet dog or a cat; teaches them responsibility or something like that."

"Oh?" Kate laughs, pulling the dog up to lay next to her on the couch. His little tail wags as he rests his head in her lap, nose pressed right up against where the baby lay in her tummy. Kate strokes his head, keeping that tail going, and reaches down for the tag hanging off his collar, one eyebrow lifting as she reads the name. "'Copper Castle'? Really, Castle? Is that supposed to be a pun?"

"No," Castle says, unconvincingly. "It's because of his color, I swear."

"Uh-huh," Kate replies, rolling her eyes. "Whatever."

"Really!" Castle insists. Kate just laughs, shaking her head.

"So," she says, aptly changing the subject, "who's gonna train him?"

"Me, of course," Castle replies, grinning boyishly. At her incredulous look, he frowns. "What?"

"Might I remind you of that video I saw of you attempting to potty train Alexis?"

"Hey, she was pretty sneaky for a two-year-old," he defends.

"Castle, her best 'trick' was clinging to the back of your shirt while you ran around looking for her," Kate points out.

"Like I said," Castle replies, "sneaky. Besides, it's always harder to teach babies to do something than it is to teach a puppy; paper-training Copper should be a piece of cake."

"I'll believe it when I see it," Kate says, patting the puppy's head as he nudges her belly with his nose, before suddenly jumping up, as if startled. Kate laughs and looks down at the bulging tummy. "I think your son's up," she says, looking at Castle.

"Oh, so he's _my _son when he kicks the dog now?" Castle asks smartly. Kate just rolls her eyes.

Over the next few weeks, Castle stays home with Copper, attempting to housebreak him and keep him from having 'accidents' on any carpeted areas in the loft. It doesn't go very well.

While, he never squats or lifts his leg on one place more than once, he also doesn't really aim for the training pads or newspaper that Castle puts down, either. Instead, he just finds new places to tinkle and frustrates Castle even more every time he has to bring out the cleaning supplies.

And it becomes even more annoying when he realizes that Copper only does that when Kate's not around. Because when she _is _around, the puppy is a perfect little angel, who always uses the training pads and bounces around happily when he gets her praise. Meanwhile, Castle watches with a glare as Kate calls him a 'good boy'.

After a while, Castle resolves to just taking him on walks around the block, but it soon backfires on him when Copper takes the time to stop at

Every.

Single.

Tree.

Every tree on the block is fair game for Copper Castle as he leads his master from one to the next, sniffing around and lifting his leg, before heading on to the next. And he always makes sure to stop in front of a cop or a cop car to do his…other business, forcing Castle to clean up after him—not that he would leave it otherwise. But he could swear that the dog _smiles _at him as he squats down to scoop the poop. In return, Castle glares, regretting the day he thought getting a puppy for his wife would be better than that little orange kitten in the cage next to it.

**REVIEW! Another short chapter. Hopefully the next one will be much much longer!**

**Send me prompts here! Nothing that should be longer than 7,000 words (about 14 pages, give or take).**


	21. Chapter 21

**Okay, so I got a few good ones. This one is particularly cute.**

**Prompt: ****Kate and Jim teach the Castles about football on Thanksgiving.**

"Woo! Football day! Let's go Mets!" Castle exclaimed, startling Kate, who was standing in the kitchen, talking quietly with her father. She raised one brow at her husband, who was wearing a bright blue button-up and had a foam finger on his right hand.

"Castle," she laughed, "what on _earth _do you know about football?"

"Absolutely…nothing," he admitted with a shrug. "That's why _you_, my lovely bride," he kissed her cheek as he passed, "have to explain everything to me while we watch the game."

Kate shared a look with her father, who was sipping at a cup of coffee, hiding his grin behind it.

"Okay…" Kate said. "Well, first of all, the _Mets_ are a baseball team, not a football team. Secondly, we're rooting for the _Giants_ today, so at least you got the color right." She pointed to his shirt and he grinned proudly, making her smile in return. "Third," she continued, "we should really focus on dinner before we get into the game. Is the turkey almost ready?"

Castle nodded, opening the oven and pulling out the bird in question, giving it one last basting before placing it back in.

"Five more minutes," he told her. "Mother!" he shouted, making Kate wince. "YOU GOT THE POTATOES?"

"I'm right here, Darling!" Martha said, coming down the stairs. "There's no need to shout."

"Well, do you have them?" Castle asked.

"They're right behind you, on the counter," Martha sighed and Castle's eyes widened, as if noticing the aluminum covered bowl for the first time.

"Oh," he said, "thanks. You didn't add any 'secret ingredients' this year, did you?"

"No," Martha sighed, "it seems all of my spices were…_misplaced_ this year." She gave him a stink eye that could burn through brick, but his back was already turned away, reaching into the fridge for the cranberry sauce and crescent rolls while Kate stood on tiptoes to reach the good china in the cupboard.

They worked flawlessly together to get all the food out onto the table, setting the plates and glasses and silverware and napkins in their appropriate places, before placing the food in the center, in reach of everyone. Martha called Alexis down and the young woman appeared, her nose stuck in a textbook, which Castle swiftly plucked from her grasp, much to her annoyance.

"Da-ad!" she practically whined. "I have to study."

"Not today you don't," he replied. "It's Thanksgiving, Alexis; you're going to talk and laugh and eat until your pants don't zip anymore."

"But I have an exam on Monday and since Kate and Gram and I are going Black Friday shopping tomorrow, I—"

"I don't want to hear it," Castle said, putting up a hand to stop her train of thought. "It's family time. You'll have all of Saturday and Sunday to study."

"But I thought we were going to put up the decorations early this year," Alexis said.

"We can do that later in the week," Castle pointed out. "School comes first; except for today. Today, family comes first."

Alexis nodded in understanding, kissing her father on the cheek, before helping Kate bring out the drinks. Alexis had turned 21 just a few weeks earlier but still preferred to drink juice or soda at dinner, rather than wine—though Kate or Martha often let her take sips from theirs.

When everybody was settled in their seats—Castle at the head of the table, with Kate on his right and Alexis on his left, Martha next to her, and Jim across from Martha—they said grace and shared what they were thankful for (Castle for his new wife, Kate for her big family, Alexis that her father and stepmother were still alive, Jim for the same thing, and Martha for her 'God-given talent'), they dug in, talking about their work and school and independent projects they were working on as they went.

When it was time, Castle turned on the TV so that they could all watch as they ate—though neither Martha nor Alexis had any interest whatsoever in the game. Castle, however, was enraptured by the excitement and the energy that exuded from the screen, despite the fact that he had no idea what was happening.

Kate tried her best to explain to him how things worked; what a touchdown was, how many points they got, what an interception was, and why they tackled each other. But she had the distinct notion that everything she said went in one ear and came out the other, because she could practically see the floating question marks above his head as he watched the screen, wide-eyed and head tilted like a curious puppy.

Kate sighed inwardly as he watched and kept turning to her to ask the same questions over and over again, cheering when she and Jim cheered and repeating the mantra ("I bleed blue!") along with them while his mother and daughter looked on in amusement.

When the game was over—with the Giants _dominating_ the Patriots 47-22—Martha served up the pie while Castle discussed the possibility of getting Super Bowl tickets for all of them this year. Kate nearly spit out her wine at the mere _thought _of that as she looked at him wide-eyed.

"Are…are you serious?" she gasped, sharing a look with her equally stunned father. Jim was practically drooling.

"Of course," Rick replied. "I know a guy who could probably get us _great _seats; might cost me a kidney, though," he joked, patting the organ in question. Kate rolled her eyes at that, but couldn't fight the grin spreading over her features.

"That would be great, Castle," she said, "but don't make any big sacrifices; we still have to save a little money for the possibility of any…_Little Castles _that might arrive sometime in the next couple of years."

Castle beamed at the thought. "I can't wait," he said, leaning in and pressing a soft kiss to her lips.

**Okay, so yet ANOTHER short one but it's late and I have class tomorrow and I'm seeing a very good friend (and fellow Castle fanatic) tomorrow, so I needs my beauty rest. Night, Casketteers! Oh, and please REVIEW!**


	22. Chapter 22

**I have an hour and a half til class. Let's do this.**

**Prompt: Caskett's kid gets into a fight at school.**

When the principal had called them and asked them to come to the school, Kate's first thought was that their son, RJ, had received another award (this had happened _twice _already), but when Kate saw her ten-year old holding a bag of ice to his eye, she knew that that was far from the truth.

"What happened?" she exclaimed, rushing towards RJ as she and Castle turned the corner. RJ blushed, visibly, as his mother fussed over him, checking for any more, unseen brusises.

"Mo-om," he hissed. "I'm _fine._"

"You are most certainly _not _fine," Kate replied, glaring over at the pair tough-looking boys, each with their own scattering of bruises, who laughed at her outburst. Her patented 'look' shut them up real quick. "What happened?" she asked, looking down at her son.

"I sorta, kinda, _maybe_…got into a fight?" he said, shrugging.

"_Kind of_?" Kate exclaimed. "RJ, your eye is purple!"

"Honey," Castle said, placing his hand on his wife's shoulder to calm her, "relax. Let him explain."

Kate took a deep breath, nodding. "Sorry," she said, looking down at her boy. "Go ahead; explain."

RJ opened his mouth, but before he could so much as utter a single syllable, the door to the principal's office opened and Dr. Lydia Goldblum stepped out, with Nia Esposito next to her.

The girl was a shade or two lighter than her mother, but looked like her in every other way imaginable; from the natural black curls, to the full lips, to the short stature. She was definitely a Parish by biology. And, like RJ, her eye was also swollen, the skin around it discolored, however not as badly as his.

"Auntie Kate?" the nine-year old exclaimed, a smile on her lips, revealing two gaps in her teeth that Kate hoped had been there before. The young girl ran into her arms and Kate thought, wryly, that at least _one _of them was happy to see her.

"Nia," Kate sighed, pulling back to cup the girl's cheeks in her soft hands. "You too?"

Nia shrugged. "Daddy said I got Mama's hot temper," she said, by way of explanation.

"Daddy's one to talk," Castle murmured, making the girl cackle—just like Lanie in every way. "Don't I get a hug?" he asked, holding open his arms. Nia immediately let go of Kate and raced into his arms.

"Hi, Uncle Rick!" she exclaimed, smiling up at him. He grinned back.

"Hey, Champ," he replied, raising his brow at her shiner. Nia rolled her eyes, before wincing.

"Mr. Castle," Dr. Goldblum finally greeted, having spent the better of the last two minutes watching the interaction between child and 'auntie and uncle'. "Mrs. Castle."

"Dr. Goldblum," Kate and Castle replied in unison.

"What happened?" Kate asked, getting right to the point.

"It seems that RJ and Nia were involved in a little…altercation," Dr. Goldblum replied.

"Excuse me," Castle said, holding up his hand, "but I'm almost certain that a mere…_altercation _doesn't usually result in black eyes."

"No," Lydia agreed, "I suppose it doesn't. But there seems to be a…_special circumstance _this time, considering I've only heard two out of three stories so far, and both are from opposite sides."

"RJ's being the only you haven't heard?" Castle asked. Dr. Goldblum nodded.

"I was waiting for you to arrive before I brought him in," Lydia explained.

"What about the other parents?" Kate asked. "Shouldn't they be present as well?"

"Mr. and Mrs. Samuels, the parents of the two other boys involved in this…"

"Altercation," Castle supplied for her and she smiled, mirthlessly, nodding.

"They're both unable to leave work right now, and Mr. Esposito was having trouble finding a babysitter when I spoke to—"

"I'm here!" All eyes turned in the direction of where the voice was coming from to see Javier Esposito jogging down the hall, his youngest son, Christopher, bouncing happily in his arms. He stopped right next to Castle and handed him the one-year old while he caught his breath, bending at the waist and taking in a large gulp of breath, before straightening. "Sorry I'm late," he said. "Couldn't find a sitter."

Dr. Goldblum nodded in understanding. "Nia and I have already discussed her punishment, Mr. Esposito, but I could—"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Javi said, stopping her. "_Punishment_? What'd _she _do; she's the one with the black eye!"

"It's the way she came upon _getting _that black eye, Mr. Esposito, that's the problem. If you'd all like to step into my office, I'll explain to you what happened, and also get RJ's side of the story." Esposito nodded and, one by one, they entered the large office.

Castle entered right before Esposito, making funny faces at the baby in his arms and making him giggle. But then Esposito plucked him out of his hands.

"Quit it," he said, "you're gonna make him weird." Castle gave him an exaggerated pout and plopped down next to his son at a big conference table at the side of the room. Kate was on the other side and Espo and Nia were across from them. Lydia Goldblum sat at the head of the table, her hands folded in front of her.

"So," Kate said, looking at the principal, "what happened, _exactly._"

"To know that," Dr. Goldblum replied, "I would have had to have been there, but Nia and the Samuels boys each gave me their own side of the story. According to the boys, they were walking around the playground, minding their own business, when RJ came out of nowhere and pushed them down. They retaliated, naturally, and soon Nia was joining in ended up getting an elbow to the eye from RJ, so she punched him in the eye in return."

"I did not!" Nia exclaimed, interrupting the story. Esposito swatted her lightly on the back of the head.

"Hush," he said, "listen to what she has to say." Nia sat back in her chair, her arms crossed over her chest.

"And _Nia's _side of the story," Lydia went on, "is that she was walking by when she saw the two boys hitting RJ and tried to intercept, gaining her own black eye, for which she admits to giving them a few bruises of their own."

"And I'm not sorry about it," Nia added, stubbornly. Esposito rolled his eyes.

"Just like her mother," he mumbled.

"Even more like her father," Kate replied, grinning wryly. He glowered at her.

"What about RJ's side of the story?" Kate asked, looking down at the boy in question.

"I have yet to hear it," Dr. Goldblum said, staring at him expectantly, as well. "But I'm curious as to how a student as quiet and courteous as Mr. Castle ends up with a black eye."

RJ sighed. "It was an accident," he said. "I mean, not the black eye—that was totally on purpose—but my pushing them first."

"Tell us," Lydia encouraged.

"I was on the monkey bars," RJ started, "trying to get across when Billy and Frankie walked underneath right as I swung my legs. I didn't mean to hit Frankie, but I guess I did and knocked him into his brother, and they thought that I did it on purpose, so they pulled me down and started beating on me. Nia must have saw it and came to help or something, cuz one of them elbowed her in the eye."

"Was this before or after they punched yours?" Kate asked.

"After," RJ said. "Because she pulled Billy off of me—I guess he's the one that did it—and started wailing on him. The monitor, Miss Kline, had just walked up when she was shoving his face into the dirt and Frankie was reeling back to punch me again. But it's all my fault, Dr. Goldblum; Nia shouldn't be in trouble for this."

"Nia didn't have to fight," Lydia pointed out. "She could have gotten Miss Kline in the first place and maybe all of this wouldn't have happened. That was her choice, RJ; not your fault. None of it was your fault; just a misunderstanding." She sighed. "A _big _one." She turned to Esposito. "Mr. Esposito, before I heard this side of the story, I'd already assigned Nia a week of detention, though it's usually two days' worth of suspension for fighting, but she's a first-time offender so we'll let that slide. But since hearing this story, I'll limit it to three days. No more fighting, Nia," she said to the girl in question. "Mr. and Mrs. Castle, I don't see any need to punish RJ; by several eyewitnesses, he was only active in defending himself and didn't attempt to harm the other boys, or Nia, of course, so he's free to go. Just…try to stay out of trouble, okay RJ?"

The boy nodded. "I've managed this long," he said, "and with _my _DNA…" Kate swatted him on the back of the head for that and he grinned up at her. Dr. Goldblum chuckled.

"You're free to go," she said. "Nia, detention starts tomorrow, during recess." Nia groaned, but said nothing; just pouted.

Esposito, Kate, and Castle led their children out of the office, passing by the twin boys, who each had several painful looking bruises and black eyes of their own.

"Whoa, Chica," Esposito said, "you sure did a number on them."

"Yeah," Castle commented, "I'm sure they're never gonna use the phrase 'hits like a girl' lightly ever again."

**REVIEWS please! Time for math!**


	23. Chapter 23

**Okay, so I just got this prompt and I think I'm gonna roll with it considering where the show takes place and the fact that I live not too far away from where this all took place. Also, today is that day.**

**Never forget.**

**Prompt: 9/11**

As Kate got ready that morning, she thought about the last 13 years since that sunny September morning.

_She wasn't even at the Academy yet, had just barely started her senior year at NYU, when it happened; tragedy struck._

_She was just stepping out of the subway, intent on getting lost in the city for just a couple of hours until her class began at noon, still trying to get herself back on her feet—emotionally—after her mother's untimely death. It was hard, but she was pulling through._

_Though she couldn't say the same for her father, who drank whiskey like it was keep him alive when, in reality, it was killing him._

_Kate tried not to think about that as she stopped at a Dunkin Donuts on Cortlandt Street for a cup of coffee before she started her day. She was about the hand the woman behind the counter a five when suddenly the ground shook and there was a deafening BOOM that resounded all throughout the restaurant and beyond. _

_Every single person in the small café looked around in alarm, before nearly simultaneously running out, Kate included._

_From her place on the Cortlandt Street sidewalk, she had a clear vision of what lay to the West…and it was terrifying._

"Kate?"

She turned, smiling sadly at the man before her, dressed in a crisp black suit—far more formal than she was used to seeing him. His hair, as always, was styled and parted, only this time he had combed it back slightly, neatly.

Castle tilted his head to the side, his eyes raking up her body, making her shiver with the intensity of his gaze.

"You ready?" he asked. Kate turned back to the mirror, checked over her uniform and made sure that it was without a wrinkle or stain, before nodding her assent.

"As I'll ever be," she replied, grabbing her matching cap and planting it on her head.

Castle offered his hand to her and she took it with her gloved white one, following him out of their bedroom, her mind wandering back to the faded burn scar on the inside of her wrist.

_Kate's heart was pounding in rhythm with her feet as she ran in the direction of the flames and black smoke, making it nearly all the way to Greenwich before she mad out what was happening before her very eyes._

_An airplane was embedded into one of the towers—the north one, she thought—of the World Trade Center; she could hear the screams of people as they poured out of the burning building, which was crumbling before her eyes._

_Kate's heart filled with fear even as she felt her feet carry her forward._

I have to help them.

_Before she could get much further, however, somebody behind her screamed shrilly and she looked up, her heart dropping further at the sight of yet another plane; this one crashing into the other building—the one she was only a hundred yards or so away from._

_Kate jumped back shielding her face as debris flew out at her, along with the rest of the crowd standing behind her. A small piece of burning hot stone—perhaps from the top of the destroyed tower—flew out at struck her wrist, causing Kate to hiss out in pain and back away even further._

_When she at last lowered her arms from her face, her eyes filled with tears at the sight before her. From the top of the building, she could see, beyond the thick black smoke and the fire, the silhouettes of people—actual human beings—jumping from the high windows._

"_No!" she screamed, running towards the building. _

_By then, cops and firefighters were already setting up barriers and fighting to evacuate the buildings as quickly as possible. Kate paid no mind to them, at first, when they told her to stay back. She simply jumped the barrier as if it were something she did every day and ran into the closest building, quickly locating panicked civilians, choking as smoke filled her lungs. She ignored it as she cut a clear path for them, encouraging them all to hold their breath even as she choked on smoke as thick as the bricks crumbling around her. _

_Businessmen that she might have seen on the subway or street at one time, who usually spoke loudly and obnoxiously on their cell phones, or read their New York Posts accepted her help without question, and even attempted to pull her out with them. But, stupidly, she refused._

_It wasn't until she began to feel light-headed and a man in a firefighter's uniform plucked her from the ground and shoved an oxygen mask in her face, did Kate finally leave the building…mere moments before it came down in front of her very eyes._

Esposito and Ryan and Lanie meet them at Ground Zero, where all of them will stand with other men and women in uniform and accept a hero's praise, though none of them quite fancies themselves a hero.

Esposito was just a rookie officer at the time; one of the men who led the survivors to the safety of ambulances. He was not a hero.

Ryan was a Freshman in college, had barely started school and been accepted as a volunteer firefighter—right along his uncle—when the attacks started. His uncle wouldn't allow him to enter either building, but he had provided oxygen and performed CPR on his fair share of smoke inhalation victims. But he was not a hero.

Lanie had been working an internship at the M.E.'s office, under Dr. Perlmutter, when the first victims, charred and unrecognizable, came in. Together, she and her then-superior identified them by their dental records. She still has nightmares about that day. But she is not a hero.

Castle was over 20 blocks away from the crash site, safe and warm in his spacious loft, but the second they happened, he nearly ran to collect Alexis, and brought her right home, his heart pounding in his chest as he waited, with bated breath, for the next attacks to hit. They never came back.

To New York, at least.

He was not a hero—except to the little girl who found comfort in his arms.

A little girl who, now, is all grown up and standing in a crowd of people—most the families and friends of past victims.

Kate looks around at them and sees the warm, grateful smiles they give her, the teary-eyed looks they send her way. They think that she's a hero, but she's not.

To her, the bravery she exuded as a 21-year-old college student was more human than it was heroic. Espo and Ryan and Lanie all share her thoughts; anybody would have done what any of them had done, given half the chance, they feel. The fact that they did it was just coincidence, really.

Besides, Kate thinks, as she, the boys, Lanie, Perlmutter, and dozens of other uniformed and formally dressed servicemen and civilians ascended the steps to the stage, we are not the heroes here. _They _are. Every single person who stands out there today; survivors, family members, and friends of the victims who have willed themselves to live and move past this tragedy.

They are the true heroes.


	24. Chapter 24

**Another of my own prompts. I legit had a dream last night about the possibility of Castle ad Beckett knowing each other when they were young and I decided to keep them at the age difference they are on the show to make it a little more in-character, but this will basically be certain times in their life, like the first time Rick meets his mother's friends and their little girl and any time these two families come into contact over a period of…let's say 25 years. Enjoy!**

**Prompt: Castle and Beckett's parents are friends.**

"Richard," Martha hissed into her fourteen-year-old son's ear, "straighten your tie…and your posture. I will not be introducing you as my caveman son."

Rick rolled his eyes, but did as his mother requested, gliding along next to her as they walked toward the Becketts' Manhattan-based apartment. He peered at the tall, shiny buildings around him and wondered—not for the first time—how his mother had managed to snag such influential friends. They were a far cry from Williamsburg.

"Where did you meet these people again?" he asked as they stopped in front of a 20-story building _with a doorman_.

Martha frowned at him. "_'These people'_," she said, are my friends, young man, and you will treat them with respect."

"Of course," he said, nodding. "But that doesn't answer my—"

"Hush," Martha said, pressing an intercom button in the lobby. It rang twice before a man's voice came on, slightly static-y.

"Hello?" he said.

"Jim?" Martha said, injecting a certain unrecognizable sweetness into her voice. "It's Martha Rodgers."

"Oh, hello, Martha!" he replied, sounding pleasantly surprised. "Come right on up; Jo is just taking the chicken out of the oven."

"We'll be right there to help out," Martha informed him, before leading Rick to the elevator.

When they got to the apartment, the door was open and a little girl was peering out, her eyes as green as emeralds in the bright hallway lights. Martha smiled at her and gave her a little wave.

"Well you must be Katherine," she said, sweetly. The girl nodded, her short brown curls bouncing around her head. "I'm Martha," the woman said, before turning to her son, "and this is my son, Richard."

"Rick," the teen corrected, smiling down at the girl, before sticking out his hand. "Rick Rodgers; nice to meet you, Katherine."

"Kate," the girl corrected, giving him a shy smile as she shook his hand. Rick nodded in acknowledgment.

"Kate," he echoed, grinning at her. "Are we allowed in?" The girl nodded and stepped aside, allowing Martha and him in, before shutting the door firmly behind her.

A woman, who had the same green eyes and welcoming smile as Kate, appeared from the room Rick assumed to be the kitchen, washing off her hands with a cloth.

"Martha!" she gushed, rushing forward to welcome the redhead, kissing both her cheeks. "How nice of you to join us for dinner!"

"How nice of you to invite us," Martha replied, pulling back with a bright grin.

"And who's this?" the woman asked, looking down at Rick, who stood awkwardly at his mother's side.

"This is Richard," Martha introduced. "Richard, this is Johanna Beckett; a friend of mine from yoga."

"Yoga?" Rick laughed. "Mother, since when do you do—" at his mother's death glare, he trailed off, giving Johanna his biggest charm smile. "Nice to meet you, Mrs. Beckett," he said, shaking her hand.

"Oh, please," Johanna replied, blushing. "Just call me Jo; Mrs. Beckett is my mother-in-law, God rest her soul."

"Mo-om!" Kate's voice sounded from the kitchen. "I think the 'tatoes are ready!"

Jo smiled at that. "Excuse me," she said, before disappearing back into the kitchen. A moment later, Kate rushed back out, clutching a book in her arms. She offered Martha and Rick a shy grin before climbing up onto the couch and opening her book. Rick's eyes widened at that as he joined her on the couch.

"You can read?" he asked. "How old are you?"

"Four and a half," Kate replied. "And I'm still learnin'. Dad reads to me every night."

"What does he read you?" Rick asked.

"Mostly Dr. Seuss," Kate informed him. "But sometimes he reads fairytales!" She sounded excited at the prospect and Rick smiled, nodding.

"Sounds pretty cool," he commented. "Which one is your favorite?"

"I like Little Red Riding Hood," Kate replied. "Especially the part when the Gramma gets cut out of the Big Bad Wolf's belly."

Rick's eyes widened. "Your dad reads you the Grimms' fairytales?" Kate nodded.

"Mommy doesn't like them very much but I _love _them!" She gave him a large smile and he grinned back.

"A woman after my own heart," he joked and she giggled.

Martha watched them with a grin. Rick had always wanted siblings, but she'd never gotten quite as…_lucky _with any other man as she'd gotten with his father, so he remained an only child. He had a certain affinity for getting along with children, however.

"Dinner's ready," a male voice called out, just before its owner stepped out, carrying a platter with a full chicken on top. Rick ascertained this to be Jim Beckett, Kate's father and Johanna's husband. The little girl had his dark hair—though hers was wavy like her mother's—and their noses were similar, as well. She jumped off the couch at once, tossing the book aside and pulled Rick along to the table with her, clutching his hand in a vice-like grip for such a small child.

Rick just laughed and let her take the lead, smiling as she pulled out a seat for him, smiling up at him brightly.

"Such a gentleman," he laughed and she giggled again, before hopping into her own seat, which was padded with a cushion to give her a little extra height. Martha sat across from him, next to Johanna, who'd just set down a bowl of baked potatoes in the center.

Once everybody was settled, they dug in. Martha, Jim, and Johanna talked about their respective careers and children, while Rick made funny faces at Kate, who giggled and nudged him in the shoulder. After a while, the subjects of Rick's writing came up and he got quiet.

"You're a writer?" Johanna asked, smiling softly.

Rick shrugged, embarrassed. "Sorta," he said. "I'm not published or anything."

"What about your school's literary magazine?" Martha urged. "Tell them about that."

"One of my stories was published," he said. "No big deal."

"It's a _very _big deal!" Jim exclaimed. "That's the first step towards fame, Rick. You get people interested in your craft and you go from there; obviously somebody liked your writing enough to get it out there for you. It's up to you to keep going with it."

"You think?" Rick asked, looking up into the man's kind brown eyes. Jim nodded.

"Of course!" he said. "In fact, I first got started in law when I was about your age."

"Really?" Jim nodded.

"I was on the defense team and we were losing something awful, but then I found this little piece of evidence that sent the whole case home; _that _is when I knew that I wanted to be a lawyer…and not an amateur magician like my father."

"Your father is a magician?" Rick asked, his blue eyes going wide at that. Johanna and Martha laughed.

"Is that all you heard?" Jim asked, chuckling.

"It's the most important thing I've heard," Rick insisted. "So, does he know how to cut a body in half?"

**xxx**

Their dinners became a monthly occurrence—when they weren't all too busy with work—and Rick found himself looking forward to them. Jim Beckett was like the father that he never got to have; he told him stories of his youth, gave him studying tips for school, and read over the stories that Rick planned on submitting to the literary magazine at school and gave him notes and thoughts, which the teen greatly appreciated.

Rick also got very close with little Kate, whom he babysat during the summer nights when her parents went out and her grandfather couldn't. He would help her with her reading and spelling and even read her his own stories to get her thoughts on them.

And more than once, he played salon and dress up with her, donning a feathery pink boa and a floppy pink hat for 'tea' with her stuffed animals. She became somewhat like his surrogate baby sister, but mostly, she was his friend.

They saw much less of each other, however, when Rick entered his senior year at a nearby high school (having gotten himself kicked out of his last six boarding schools for his pranking ways) and started hanging out with a group of friends his own age—including Kyra, his first long-term girlfriend.

He still babysat Kate, occasionally, but those nights were few and far between until they stopped altogether when he entered college. After that, the only time he saw the Becketts at all was in Christmas cards.

**xxx**

He was in his early 20's when he saw Kate, in person, again. By that time, _she _was fourteen and he'd already been married and had his own child, a baby girl with fiery red hair, named Alexis.

Oh, and he'd changed his name from Richard Alexander Rodgers to Richard Edgar Castle, mostly because he hated being mistaken for that stupid theater. Now, he went by Castle.

It was at his mother's insistence that he ask Kate to be his babysitter on a night when he and Meredith would be out at the launch party for his most recent book. He'd asked Martha to do it, but she had already made other plans that she couldn't get out of.

"Just call Johanna," Martha said. "I'm sure Katherine would be more than happy to watch the baby."

"I dunno, Mother," Castle said. "She's only fourteen, and—"

"The same age you were when you began babysitting _her_," Martha reminded him.

"Yes, but Kate was _four_," Castle reminded his mother. "Not three months old. Has she ever even taken care of an infant before?"

"According to Johanna, Katherine is the go-to babysitter for their entire building; and there are a _lot _of children Alexis's age. Just call her, Richard; you need a babysitter and she _is _a babysitter. It's serendipitous."

"I don't think you're using that word right," Castle sighed, "but, okay; I'll call her."

Martha gave him the Becketts' number and Castle called, making plans for Kate to babysit for them.

He never would have expected the girl who showed up at his door.

The first thing he noticed about his old friend was how much she'd grown from the shy-ish, bright-eyed four year old to the tall, leggy, brace-faced teen he saw in front of him now.

Kate's eyes, however, were just as bright and wide as the first time he'd seen them.

"Whoa," she whispered when he opened the door to his loft. "This place is _huge_. It's like the bat cave!"

He grinned. So little Katie had grown to be a nerd, just like him.

He laughed. "I guess so," he replied. "If the bat cave was child-proof." Kate chuckled and stepped inside, turning around as she went further into the large apartment.

"You've really come far, Mr. Writer," she said, grinning up at him. Despite the fact that she was about three times the size of her four-year-old self, Castle still towered over her by a good foot.

"I guess you could say that," Castle replied, grinning. "And you've come pretty far with the height, huh, Katie?"

"Ugh," Kate groaned. "Don't call me that." She rolled her eyes and crossed her arms over her chest, giving him a sour expression. "I _hate _being called 'Katie'."

"As you wish," Castle replied, laughing, before suddenly a large wail took his smile away. "Be right back," he said, running into another room, right off the living room.

He returned moments later with a bundle in his arms, his thick finger clutched in a tiny fist. Kate smiled brightly as he brought the baby over for her to look at, a pair of big blue eyes blinking up at her.

"Aww," she cooed. "She's adorable!"

Castle smiled proudly. "Ain't she?" he said, pressing a kiss to his daughter's forehead. "Her name is Alexis. Alexis Harper Castle."

"Castle?" Kate asked.

"Your mother didn't tell you?" he laughed. "I changed my name to Richard _Edgar Castle_. Much better than Richard Rodgers, don't you think?"

Kate nodded. "Much," she agreed. "Can I hold her?"

Castle took a deep breath before nodding. Slowly, he transferred the baby from his arms to Kate's making sure that her arms were in the right position. It seemed natural to her, though, and she cooed down at the baby as she rocked on her feet, smiling as one chubby hand rose to curl around a lock of brown hair. Kate gently disengaged the baby's fist, holding her easily in the crook of one arm.

"Hey, Lex," she crooned. "You're so cute," she practically squeaked, her face threatening to split in two. The baby cooed up at her and Castle's heart swelled.

Yeah, she would be fine.

**xxx**

Kate became their regular babysitter, until Alexis was at least four, when Kate left for college.

But she was there for a lot. Castle saw her through her 'wild child phase' which had Jim going near-bald, and resulted in Kate's first tattoo, piercing, and suspension, as well as the eventual purchase of a Harley soft-tail, for which Kate was nearly shipped off to the nearest convent.

But, through all of it, Kate stayed his semi-regular babysitter, and became pretty good friends with his little girl. Especially after Meredith left him.

He was broken at the time and Alexis even more so. Every night, she would ask where her mommy was and would refuse to go to bed until she returned…which she never did. Usually, Castle was able to handle these tantrums on his own, but sometimes…sometimes he was able to admit that he needed help.

So he called Kate and, no matter where she was or what plans she had for the night, she'd rush right over, coaxing Alexis into her regular bedtime routine. Castle called her the 'toddler whisperer' because Kate was the only person who could make Alexis calm down, while he and Martha usually just waited for the girl to cry herself to sleep.

Kate was his saving grace during that time and he was forever grateful for her; which is why it was so upsetting that she told him about her plans to attend Stanford.

"It's a good school," Kate had told him one night, after he'd returned from a god-awful date with a woman he'd met at the playground. Alexis sat on her lap as they shared milk and cookies—it was still early enough for the child to not have to go to bed yet; _that's _how awful the date had been—and talked about her plans.

"But it's too far," the little girl complained.

"Yeah," Castle added. "What she said."

Kate rolled her eyes. "I'll be back for Thanksgiving," she reminded them. "And my winter break is, like, the entirety of January; I promise you won't miss me _too _much."

Alexis still pouted, but Kate nuzzled it away, making the girl giggle. Castle smiled at that, but couldn't help but feel saddened by the thought of his best friend moving all the way to California.

But he dealt with it.

Before she left, he gave Kate a going-away present. It was wrapped in a maroon red box with a white bow and she smiled when he handed it to her outside the airport.

"What's this?" she asked, looking up at him.

"Open it and find out," he replied, grinning.

Kate rolled her eyes and undid the bow, lifted the lid and—

"Oh my God!" she exclaimed. "No way!"

"What is it, Katie?" Johanna asked, peering over her shoulder. Kate showed her.

"The advanced copy for his next book!" Kate replied, making Johanna's eyes widen.

"Hey!" she laughed, looking up at Rick. "Where's mine?"

Castle chuckled. "It'll be on your desk tomorrow, Jo," he replied. "I swear."

Johanna smiled happily. "Well that was very nice of you, Rick," she said.

"Seriously!" Kate exclaimed, wrapping her arms around his neck, practically having to hop up to hug him. "Thank you so much!"

"Anything for my favorite Law student," Castle replied.

"_Pre-Law_," Kate corrected, pulling back. "Law school starts in another four years."

"It'll be here before you know it," Castle replied, before leaning down, placing a kiss on Kate's cheek. "Good luck out there, Beckett."

Kate blushed slightly, but kept that wry smile. "You too," she said. "Try not to lose your kid…again."

"That was _one time_!" Castle exclaimed and she laughed.

"Whatever," she said. "This year, _I'm _taking her Black Friday shopping."

Castle rolled his eyes, but he couldn't bite back the grin. "See you soon?"

Kate nodded. "Just two and a half months," she said.

**xxx**

Sadly, he didn't see her when she came back for Thanksgiving break; he was on tour, with Alexis in tow. They had Thanksgiving dinner with his publisher, Gina, who made eyes at him the entire night, as if his daughter wasn't sitting right there the entire time.

He didn't even make it to Black Friday shopping for all the book signings he had to do, so he sent his mother out, armed with Alexis's Christmas list and his credit card.

By the time they returned to New York, Kate was already back at Stanford.

He saw her at her parents annual Christmas party, though. And then again at his mother's New Year's Eve bash, which took place at his apartment.

Both times he was breathless by the thought of how stunning she looked, first in the form-fitting red sweater and jeans, and then in that slinky green cocktail dress…and both times he forgot that she was ten years his junior, as well as his good friend, and found himself ogling her before he shook himself out of it.

Alexis didn't seem to care what she was wearing, however, because both times the child threw herself into Kate's arms, holding on tightly as the young woman lifted her up, even with a drink in her hand the second time. Castle followed, pressing his lips to her cheek in greeting as he approached and said hello.

They stood and talked for a long time before Kate noticed that Alexis had fallen asleep in her arms and gave her back to Castle to put to bed.

"She's going to be so upset she missed the fireworks," he said, motioning to where his mother and one of her 'friends' were talking—or bartering; he couldn't tell which—over a pile of pyrotechnics. Kate laughed and followed him up the stairs to Alexis's bedroom, helping get the groggy girl ready for bed.

By the time they had Alexis under the covers of her overly large princess bed, snuggled up with her old stuffed monkey, it was near midnight and they were both reveling in the quiet of the upstairs, neither wanting to leave.

So they both watched the little girl sleep. Castle with an adoring smile as he watched his little girl drool onto her pillow and Kate with a giggle as a little snort sounded from the girl's nose.

"She's adorable," Kate whispered, smiling up at Castle.

"Of course she is," Castle huffed. "She's my kid, isn't she?"

Kate rolled her eyes at that, but couldn't force back the grin. "Thank God she didn't inherit your cockiness," she replied.

"There's still time."

"God help us all."

"I _am _God."

"Now that's pushing it a little too far."

"Sorry."

Kate snorted, shaking her head, as she stood up. "Come on," she said. "I think it's time to go back; they're probably about to start the countdown now."

Castle nodded, standing and sending one more grin back to his little girl, before following Kate out.

"Ten…nine…eight…seven…"

"Shit," they said, simultaneously, sharing a look as they raced for the stairs. They ran down together, bumping shoulders as the countdown continued.

"Six…five…four…three…two…one…"

They were only on the landing, but before Castle could hop down the rest of the stairs, Kate grabbed his shirt and pulled him back, bringing his lips down to hers before he could so much as breathe. Castle's eyes widened momentarily, before he sunk into the kiss, his arms wrapping around her waist, pulling her further against his body. He both felt and heard Kate let out a tiny moan and the sound made his heart swell with…well, something he couldn't really name, but he longed to hear it again.

Unfortunately, Kate's lips popped off of his at that moment, looking red and swollen, her eyes wide with surprise at what she'd just done.

Instead of the sorry or 'this was a mistake' he'd been expecting, Kate's lips spread into a grin. "Wow," she said, before ducking around his body, heading back into the party, while Castle watched, confounded.

They never spoke of it.

**xxx**

When he heard of Johanna's death, his first thought was of Kate, of how she might be dealing with it. He nearly sprinted to her apartment, leaving Alexis in his mother's capable hands, his heart breaking as he came face to face with a swollen-eyed, tear-stained Kate Beckett, her hair a mess, face devoid of makeup, and wearing an oversized Columbia sweater; her mother's, he was sure.

When she saw him, she practically fell into his embrace, sobbing against his chest, allowing herself to show weakness, which was so rare for her. He held her tight, led her back into the apartment, and sat down on the couch with her in his lap, letting her sob against his shoulder.

When the sobs finally subsided, she backed herself out of his lap and began talking about funeral arrangements, once they got the body back from the morgue, of course, and wouldn't allow him to make her slow down, pulling him into the planning, and then pulling her father in when he got home from talking to the lead detective.

They had nothing to go on; just a random act of gang violence, they said. That was all.

The funeral took place three days later, on the twelfth of January, 1999.

Castle stood on one side of Kate and Jim on the other as they watched Johanna Beckett's body be lowered into the ground. Kate's entire body was shaking and he attempted to calm her by taking her hand in his. She gave him a sad smile, but it did very little, otherwise.

Martha brought Alexis to the reception at their apartment and Kate clung to her like another lifeline, smiling as the little girl told her, excitedly, what she was learning in school. Castle and Jim hovered over them for most of the day, and both of them could tell that her mood, while slightly brightened by the little girl's enthusiasm, was not improving as much as they'd hoped.

So, when nobody was around to offer their never-ending condolences, Jim and Castle snuck the girls out of the apartment.

They went down to Coney Island and spent the entire day walking along the beach, collecting sea shells and sticks and rocks and making their own little stickmen. At the end of the day, Kate's smile was the only confirmation that the day hadn't been as bad as it could have been.

**xxx**

After her mother's death, Kate transferred schools and changed her major from law to criminology, vowing that she would close her mother's case if it killed her—a possibility that Castle was all too aware and concerned about. But he supported her, as always.

He supported her when she entered NYU and used her mother's life insurance money to buy her first apartment, leaving her father who'd spiraled into an alcohol-induced depression after the death of his wife. He supported her when she told him that she was thinking about taking a semester abroad in Kiev, and even bought her a first-class ticket ("way better than economy; way more comfortable, too").

For her graduation, he helped Jim plan an _alcohol-free _party to celebrate with all her friends from the university and their little makeshift family.

And he beat the crap out of that asshole who cheated on her _at _said party with one of her best friends, whom she no longer spoke to. But she didn't have to know that.

When Kate graduated from the Academy, she was offered a position right off the bat in Manhattan's 12th Precinct, working under Captain Roy Montgomery, who seemed to take to her immediately. Her training officer, Royce, became a big inspiration for her and Castle found himself getting jealous of all her stories of him, the awe in her eyes and her voice when she spoke about him.

The jealousy turned to outright anger when he broke her heart after what he deemed to be a 'fun night' after Kate had opened her heart to him and he'd taken advantage of her. Kate had come to him with tears in her eyes and, like always, he gave her his shoulder to cry on, while silently planning the best way to murder a police officer without getting caught.

It didn't happen, though, because Royce was transferred practically the next day.

But Castle vowed that he would have him killed if he ever showed his face again, wondering who the hell would dare hurt anybody as extraordinary as Kate Beckett.

Kate vowed the same about Meredith when she took Alexis to lunch one day…in _Paris_. Castle had completely freaked out when he learned where they were and Kate had been the first one he called, before Martha even, to come with him to get her back.

He didn't let Meredith see Alexis, unaccompanied, for at least two months after that, and every time she did, Kate was there as well, glowering at her.

Then, it happened.

Alexis was in fourth grade and Castle was helping her with her fractions at the time he got Kate's frantic call. Jim had stopped breathing.

Thankfully, Martha had already been on her way over for dinner when the call came in, so Castle left the two redheads together, while he rushed to meet Kate at the hospital. Like the night her mother died, she fell into his arms, sobbing against his chest, and he stroked his fingers through her hair.

Jim was diagnosed with a serious case of alcohol poisoning and would have almost certainly died if Kate had not found him when she did.

After that, Kate insisted that he go to rehab and Jim readily agreed, after seeing the fright he put his daughter through.

Not long after that, Kate Beckett made history after becoming the youngest woman to make detective in the NYPD. For that, they celebrated, but this time alone.

He invited her out for dinner the night she got the news and Kate gratefully accepted the invitation, her heart leaping after she learned that Alexis would not be joining them (she had a sleepover at her friend's house that night).

Kate had known there was something between them the night they kissed on New Year's Eve, but she was afraid that he still saw her as just a friend or worse; a little sister. And since he hadn't brought it up, neither had she.

But even through everything that happened since then—what with Royce and all the date they both went on that led nowhere—she hoped that…well, that she wasn't too broken for him now. Because that was what she was most afraid of.

But all her fears vanished when he picked her up that night, when she saw the look of pure adoration and longing on his face at the sight of her in a little blue dress that she'd had yet to wear…until now.

He'd gazed at her like that all night long, when he thought she wasn't looking, but she was. And the looks he sent her way made her grin internally.

After dinner, he walked her back to her apartment, and at some point they ended up holding hands (to this day, Kate is still not certain who initiated the contact) and their fingers stayed linked when she leaned in to kiss him goodnight.

A kiss which lasted through morning.

When she woke up the next morning to find him smiling at her, she felt her heart swell even further. He had not left her; not like Royce.

He stayed.

And that made all the difference.

They started dating after that, and it was never 'casual'. She spent most nights with him at his loft, helping Alexis with homework and cooking dinner alongside him, when she wasn't working, and just…being.

For the first time in what felt like forever, she felt…_lighter_, somehow. Happier than she'd been since her mother's passing. She felt like her life had more meaning than just solving the murder that sent her life into her turmoil, and that meaning came in the form of one giggly little redheaded child and her father…her beautiful, kind-hearted, loving father.

After a year of them 'courting'—as Martha liked to put it—Castle proposed one day while they were watching Alexis play from the swing set, their hands linked as they swung lazily back and forth. He'd faked falling off of his swing, getting a giggle from her, and then a gasp as he pushed up on one knee, holding up the glittering ring between thumb and forefinger.

"Katherine Houghton Beckett," he said, "will you marry me?"

She'd nearly tackled him to the ground, showering his face with kisses and breathy sighs of 'yes' until he was quivering on the ground with laughter.

Their wedding took place the following April, just less than a week after his birthday.

April seventh, 2006.

**xxx**

One day, nearly three years after their wedding, Kate received a call at work. She bit back a grin as she saw her husband's grinning face staring up at her from the screen of her phone.

"What's up, Castle," she said, "I'm working."

"I just got a brilliant idea," Castle said, "for a new book series."

"What happened to Derrick Storm?" Kate asked, furrowing her brow.

"We'll talk about that later," Castle said. "But first, don't you wanna hear about this brilliant idea?"

"I guess," Kate sighed, "but make it quick; Montgomery may be your poker buddy, but he's also my boss."

"Okay, okay," Castle said. "So, get this; a streetwise female NYPD detective with a tragic past solves murders with a roguishly handsome journalist. Huh? What do you think?"

"Castle, you are not exploiting my mother's death for—"

"No, no! Of course not, honey. Just an idea; an easily changeable idea. I just…"

"What?" Kate asked.

"I wanna run with the female detective angle; I've already written five chapters about her, but I need your okay."

"Why do you need _my _okay?" Kate asked.

"Because she's based on you, of course; my muse."

"Castle, that's sweet, but—"

"Please?" he practically begged. "I swear it'll have nothing to do with your mother, but this is the first time since I started Derrick Storm that I've been…_excited _about something." Kate cleared her throat. "In the literary sense," Castle clarified. "Come on, what do ya say?"

Kate sighed. "Fine," she said. "But I get to read it before you send Gina any new chapters, okay?"

"Of course," Castle replied. "No problem, honey, but, uh, one more thing…"

"What's that?" Kate asked.

"I'm gonna have to shadow you for research."

**And so it begins! REVIEWS please!**


	25. Chapter 25

**Headcanon prompt! My 'n' key is not working very well for some reason, so if it's missing (or any other letter for that matter) then please let me know. I'm trying to find the issue right now. Thanks!**

**Prompt: Has Beckett ever 'faked it'? Did Castle know? If so, how did he react?**

They'd been trying for a baby for two months at the time, and she was both numb and exhausted. But still not pregnant.

So they kept trying.

Every single night, like clockwork, he would come to her, shower her body with kisses, and work her up as best as he could with his fingers before 'getting to it' as he liked to say. It made her feel somewhat like a machine, though she never failed to reach her peak by the end.

But today was somehow…different.

She was wet when he entered her, but somehow she just wasn't finding the pleasure tonight; it wasn't quite doing it for her. No matter how quick or hard or deep he thrust, no matter how he used his fingers or mouth on _any _part of her body, it just wasn't working.

But she couldn't let him know that. Richard Castle was a man who prided himself on his innate ability to bring every single woman who entered his bed to climax. To learn that he couldn't do that with his wife, his always, his third time's the charm?

It would be catastrophic.

So, for his sake, she faked it.

Kate Beckett had prided herself on the fact that she _never _faked an orgasm—she was not about rewarding a mediocre performance in bed, or anywhere else for that matter. Every man she'd ever been with either gave her an honest-to-god, toe-curling climax…or they didn't.

Simple as that.

So it was very uncomfortable for her to do it to this man whom she loved so very much—who was her _world_—but it had to be done…for him.

Kate let out a gasp as he thrust particularly hard in her. And then another. And another. Before long, she was gasping and moaning and clawing at his back, her lips attacking his neck as she nibbled at his pulse point, really selling her performance as she forced her internal muscles to clench around him, feeling his hips stutter slightly as he got closer.

Right before he fell, Castle attacked her lips, whispering 'I love you's into her mouth as he reached his climax, coming inside her in quick, hot bursts. Kate sighed against his mouth, her arms wrapping tightly around his shoulders.

When he pulled out of her, Kate let out a barely perceptible whimper, as she always did, before following him to lie on his chest as he settled onto his back.

Castle wrapped one arm around her waist, his thumb rubbing soothing circles into her hip, softly lulling her to sleep.

But as she was about to doze off, Kate heard his words against her ear.

"You faked it." It was neither accusing or angry; just disappointed. Which was even worse.

Kate took a deep breath; there was no way she could lie to him about something like this.

"Yes," she said, after a beat. "I'm so sorry, Babe; I'm just so…_tired._"

"Of me?" She could tell that he was trying to keep his voice steady and the thought made her heart ache.

"No," she said. "Never you," she assured him, kissing right above his heart. "I just…we've been trying for two solid months, Babe, and I just…I think I've gone a little numb from all your attention."

Castle looked down at her, his eyes wide. "That can happen?" he asked.

Kate shrugged. "I guess so; I might need to see my gynecologist about it, but something like it happened when I used my vibrator too much when I was between relationships in college. Couldn't feel anything for, like, a week. It comes back, though," she assured him. "And when it does…we can try again."

"Promise?" Castle asked, wiggling his eye brows at her.

"Oh, definitely," Kate said. "I don't think either of us could keep our hands to ourselves for longer if we _tried._"

**REVIEWS! **


	26. Chapter 26

**Another headcanon prompt. I'm really glad you guys enjoyed the last one so much! Enjoy!**

**Prompt: Who fell in love with whom first?**

She'd like to say that he fell for her first; would like to say it with a confident and cocky grin that she had him tripping all over himself from the moment they met…but she knows that's not the truth, regrettably.

The truth—the _real _truth—is that _she _fell for _him _first. Before they even met, too; her heart already belonged to him.

She just didn't realize it yet. It took probably longer than it should have for her to realize just how far she'd fallen for the cocky, egotistical, jack- and wiseass playboy writer, but when she _did _realize it…well, it was already too late to turn back.

But she couldn't let him know that.

She couldn't let him know how she'd found his first book wedged in between her mother's side of the bed and her nightstand, where it must have fallen while Johanna had made the bed…for the last time.

She couldn't let Castle know that she had found that picture of her, at three years old, smiling up at the camera with cake splattered over her smiling face and a lopsided party hat strapped onto her big toddler head, waving up at the camera, her hand smothered with chocolate frosting somewhere near the end of the book, using the happy picture as a bookmark. Or that Kate read the rest of the book, the words swimming in her eyes, aloud to her mother that night, truly believing that she heard the words…_his _words, wherever she was.

She couldn't let him know that the first hundred dollars from her mother's life insurance, after her funeral arrangements, went to buying every single one of his books and then the advanced order of his not-yet-released novel. Or that she waited three hours in line just to get it signed by him and to tell him thank you for helping her through this tough time.

She could never let him know that she was far too star struck to utter more than a meek, "Hi," when she finally came face to smiling face with him.

And it wasn't even the last time, either.

The next time, she was with Will, and she was far too embarrassed by the fact that she forced him to wait for nearly three hours in line with her for this one to even so much as _look _at Castle. So she didn't.

But she couldn't let him know any of that.

It's not like he remembered, anyway.

And she _definitely _could not let him know that the first time they met face to face—that he remembers—at that rooftop book launch party, her heart was pounding and her stomach was clenching and she felt so light-headed, she thought she might faint.

She couldn't tell him that it took all of her strength and self-control not to ask for his autograph—despite the fact that she already had three signed copies of his work—or completely freak out over it (she had to be professional after all).

She could not tell him that when he tried to flirt with her in the interrogation room that she felt as if the entire world halted and all that they were the only two that mattered.

She could never admit that her heart jumped every time he said her name or even so much as _looked _at her and made her feel like a giddy school girl with her first crush, no matter how infuriating he was or how much he annoyed her.

She couldn't let him know that, even back during that first case, she was hopelessly in love with him.

But, somehow, he found out.

It was bound to happen, she supposed, especially since he had offered to pack up her apartment while she was at work—something she'd been neglected to do since they returned from their honeymoon.

She hadn't even thought about it when she walked into the loft later that day, sitting on a couch surrounded by piles of heavy and full cardboard boxes, all labeled "Kate". Her husband—God how she loved saying that word—was nowhere to be found, and for a moment she panicked, before seeing the light in his office. She allowed herself—and him—about five minutes to unwind and relax—before padding towards the office, following the soft _tap tap taps _that resonated throughout the room.

Leaning against the doorjamb, Kate wondered how it was that she could possibly deny herself the simple pleasure of loving this man for so long. How could she lie to herself about her own, incredibly strong emotions? How could she deny the painfully obvious inevitability?

She had no idea.

But she was here—they both were—and they were happier than could be. Safe and sound and still floating on cloud nine, as they had since their belated nuptials.

Kate opened her mouth to greet him when she suddenly noticed something off about his desk. He had the usual accents—his 'time traveler machine' which he'd kept from the previous year's most _ridiculous_ case, her stuffed raven, Edgar, which had taken residence sometime in the last couple of months, the picture of them, Martha, Alexis, and Jim, from their Hamptons vacation the previous summer, and…

"Are those my books?" she asked, instead of the greeting she'd intended to give him.

He smirked and, without even glancing up, replied, "Well, technically, they're _my _books, dear."

She wrinkled her nose. 'Babe' and 'Honey' she could deal with, but _'Dear'_? It made her feel like they were an old married couple—the kind that only had sex on 'special occasions' and drank tea together, instead of wine. She ignored it, however, instead focusing on his usual wiseassery.

"_Technically_," she retorted, "I bought them, so they're actually mine, _Darling._"

He snorted, finally looking up at her, his baby blue eyes crinkled in mirth. "They have my name on them," he said, like a petulant child. "Not just the book cover, either; the inside, too. My signature." As he said this, he reached for one—the third Derrick Storm—and opened to the inside cover, reading aloud: "To Kate; it was—"

"An absolute pleasure to meet you," Kate interrupted, speaking from memory the words she'd read probably a thousand times over. "I hope to see you again, soon. Rick Castle." She snorted. "Yeah," she said, "I remember. Especially since that wasn't the—"

"First time that we met?" Castle asked, lifting one brow. "I know; I read the others, too." He sighed, his face dropping slightly. "I can't believe I didn't remember you."

Kate shrugged. "I wasn't your only fan," she said, logically.

"Still," Castle said. "How could I have forgotten _you?_"

Kate chuckled, walking around the desk to perch atop it in front of him. "There were probably hundreds of girls there, Castle; maybe even thousands. It's not hard to imagine—"

He cut her words off with a kiss, pulling her into his lap. Kate didn't even attempt to resist, curling into him, her legs slung across his, allowing him to hold her much like he did when he carried her over the threshold just months ago. She smiled into the kiss, giving as good as she got, before he softly pulled away.

"I was too oblivious back then," he said, "to recognize how extraordinary the woman in front of me was. I'm sorry."

Kate chuckled at that, her hand raising to right in front of his face. "I'm sure I can find _some _way to forgive you," she said, before leaning in, pressing her lips against his softly.

"I love you," he murmured against her lips and Kate felt her heart swell, as it was wont to do whenever he expressed his affection for her.

"I love you too," she replied. "You have no idea."

**REVIEW!**


	27. Chapter 27

**I have Mathematics for Contemporary Life today (ugh) so I'm probably gonna make this one quick. Enjoy!**

**Prompt: Castle and Beckett have their fourth child, dispelling the time traveler theory.**

Nathaniel Stanley Castle (named after both of their grandfathers) was born April 7th, 2026, the _fourth _and completely unexpected—but neither unwanted nor unloved—child of Captain Katherine Houghton Beckett Castle and novelist Rick Castle. And, of all their children, Nate Castle—as they had affectionately dubbed him—was their smallest. He weighed in at just under six pounds and was only 18 inches long, a preemie they called him. Two full weeks early, but not nearly enough to present any problems during labor, though you'd think the kid was born with three heads from the way his father was looking at him.

"Castle," Kate sighed, turning to him with a look of annoyance only Kate Beckett could produce just hours after giving birth. "What's wrong?"

"I just…I can't believe it," he replied, his eyes practically glued to his son, who was currently suckling from his mother's breast.

"What?" Kate asked. "He's fine; a perfectly healthy baby. The doctor said so."

"I know, I know," Castle replied, nodding. "It's just…he was wrong."

"What?" Kate asked, frowning. "Who was? Nate?"

Castle chuckled. "No, not Nate," he said. "_Doyle_, the time traveler; he said _three _kids, remember?"

Kate rolled her eyes. "Yes," she said, "I remember, Castle. But he was also a lunatic who thought that a glorified remote control could transport him to other centuries, remember?"

"He said you were going to be a Senator, though," Castle reminded her. "And he knew that you and I were engaged."

"So?" Kate scoffed. "_Everybody _knew that; maybe he just heard a couple of unis talking about it or something in booking."

Castle sighed. "Maybe," he said. "I just hoped…"

Kate smiled softly at him. "I know," she said. "I saw that little happy dance you did when we found out we were having twins; remember that?" Castle nodded, chuckling.

"Oh, I remember," he said, his eyes sparkling with mirth. Suddenly, there was a squeal and he laughed again. "Speak of the little devils."

Johanna "Joey" Beckett Castle and Martha "Marti" Houghton Castle appeared in the doorway, their hands clasped as they peered in, huge smiles on their faces.

"Is that him?" Joey asked, pulling her sister into the room, her hair pulled back into two adorable pigtails. Castle nodded, motioning for the girls to come to him. They ran straight into his open arms and he lifted them so that they could see clearly over the high bed, at their mother holding their baby brother.

"What's his name?" Marti asked, looking up at her father beneath the chestnut bangs that always covered her eyes.

"Nathaniel Stanley Castle," Kate replied, before looking towards the door. "Where's RJ and Alexis?"

"RJ is helpin' Lexie carry the presents," Joey informed them. "And Lukie."

"And you guys should have been helping," a voice said and all heads turned to watch as Alexis and RJ entered, the latter's arms filled with gift bags and balloons, while the former carried a very fussy toddler.

"Hey, guys," Castle greeted, smiling at his two eldest children. Alexis approached and kissed his cheek hello.

"Hey, Dad," she said. She turned to her stepmother. "Hey, Kate."

"Gran!" Lukas shouted from his mother's arms, reaching out for her.

"Gran can't hold you right now, Luke," Alexis said. "She's holding her baby; your uncle."

"Uncle!" Lukas exclaimed, still reaching in Kate's direction. Alexis turned her pleading eyes on her father and he laughed lowering the girls from his hips to the ground and reaching for his grandchild. Alexis placed the brown-haired boy in his arms and Castle immediately lifted the boy above his head, making him shriek and laugh, while Kate motioned for her children to surround her bed.

The twins immediately hopped up, sitting atop her feet as they gazed at the little squishy being in their mother's arms. RJ, meanwhile, walked around to stand next to her, the 11-year-old kissing his mother's cheek before staring down at his little brother.

"He's tiny," he said, suddenly. "Smaller than the twerps, even."

"Hey!" the girls whined and he snorted.

"No offense," he said, grinning at them. They each stuck out a little pink tongue and he returned the gesture. Kate just chuckled and shook her head at her two children.

"Cut it out, you three," she said. "And, yes, he is smaller than any of you when you were born, but he'll be just as big soon enough. Big and strong, like RJ and Marti and Joey and Alexis," she cooed.

"And Mommy!" Marti exclaimed, with a big, bright dimpled grin. Kate nodded.

"Yeah," she said, "I guess so."

"_And _Daddy," Joey added.

"Got that right!" Castle interceded.

Kate rolled her eyes. "Of course," she said. "He'll be as strong as anybody in this room."

"What's his name?" Alexis asked, coming over to look at her little brother, who peered up at her with cloudy blue-green eyes.

"Nathaniel," Kate replied. "Nathaniel Stanley; your father and I have just been calling him Nate." Alexis smiled at that.

"That's a cute name," she said. "Nate."

"Hey, Nate," RJ said, smiling down at the baby boy. "I'm your big brother, RJ."

"And I'm Joey!" Joey added.

"I'm Marti!" Marti said.

"Those are your sisters," RJ added. "They can be kind of annoying, but they're okay, otherwise…sometimes."

The girls once again stuck their tongues out at him and Kate laughed, shaking her head.

"My goofballs," she said, affectionately. "How did I get so lucky?"

"Well, it all started with a book launch party…" Castle said, joining them with Lukas tucked under his arm. Kate rolled her eyes but accepted the kiss he laid on her lips. "And the rest, as they say, is history. And, hey, speaking of history, I just realized that Doyle _was, _in fact, a time traveler."

Kate groaned, shaking her head. "How?" she asked. "I thought we already disproved his theory with this little guy." She motioned to the baby in her arms, who hiccupped right at that moment, his eyes widening in surprise.

"But he _also _said that that book was from _2035, _right? Well, RJ will be in college by then, won't he? So we _will_, in fact, be living with our three children; Marti, Joey, and little Nate here. Ha! Dispute that!"

"What about the Senator thing? I have no plans to run," Kate pointed out.

Castle's face fell at that and he glared down at her. "Honey, I've said it before and I'll say it again; _don't ruin my story with your logic!_"

**REVIEWS!**


	28. Chapter 28

**Prompt: Post-'Good, Bad, Baby'; Caskett talk about having kids.**

"Do you really want more kids?" Kate asked, accepting the glass of wine from her fiancé. It had been a long day (after an even longer night) and she was still in the Pocahontas get-up, curled up on the couch, leaning her braided head on the back, a blanket covering most of her body.

Castle climbed on next to her, angling his body to face hers and smiling softly at her.

"I wouldn't mind it," he answered her question. "Why? Would you?"

Kate thought on it a moment and shook her head. "No, actually," she said. "I've kinda…I've kinda always wanted kids."

Castle's eyebrows shot up at that, almost comically. "Really?" he asked. "But you said—"

"I know," Kate interrupted. "I know. But…well, about 90% of that is post-'99, ya know. But my mom…well, she always used to talk about being a grandmother and while it gave my dad heart palpitations, I…I dunno. I just always thought about how great it would be to be a mother; to have the type of relationship with my kids that I had with my parents."

"Even the 'wild child' phase?" Castle asked with a smirk. Kate snorted.

"At the time it didn't seem like a big deal; I thought my dad was just overreacting. My mom was cool about it though—she was cool about everything; took it all in stride. I always wanted to be that kind of parent."

"You still can be," he reminded her. "I mean, if you want…"

Kate grinned, nodding. "I do," she said. "I want a kid."

Castle beamed. "Just one?" he asked.

"Let's not get carried away," she said, narrowing her eyes. "I think one kid is more than enough, considering _you're _still growing up, yourself."

"Ouch," he replied, pouting. She laughed and leaned in, placing a soft kiss against his lips.

When they pulled back again, he was smiling. "So," he said, "boy or girl?"

"Boy," Kate said without even pausing to think about it.

"Why a boy?" Castle asked, earning an eyebrow quirk from his fiancée. "Just out of curiosity," he assured her.

Kate shrugged. "Because we already have a girl," she said, without thinking about it. She blushed as soon as the words passed her lips, biting the bottom one as she awaited his reaction.

But Castle just nodded. "Sound reasoning," he agreed. "What would his name be?"

"Not Cosmo," Kate said, quickly before he could even suggest it. "Maybe…Richard." She smiled brightly at him and he wrinkled his nose. "What?" she asked.

"I hated that name," he informed her. "It made me an easy target on the playground."

"They called you Di—"

"I don't want to talk about it," he interrupted. "Why not James, after—"

"James Bond?" Kate asked, grinning.

"I was _going _to say, 'after his grandfather', but, yeah, that's an added bonus."

"That can be his middle name, then," Kate compromised. "Richard James Castle; we'll call him 'RJ' for short so he'll never get made fun of—at least not for his name."

"Oh, nobody will make fun of him," Castle assured her. "Your kickass genes will make sure of that."

Kate frowned. "I don't want him to be violent," she said, softly. "There's too much violence it this world already."

"Then he won't be violent," Castle said, stroking her cheek. "But he will know how to stick up for himself. And for others...like his younger siblings."

"_Castle_," Kate admonished, shaking her head.

"What? I'm just saying. Kids are like puppies; you have to get—or have—at least two or else they'll get lonely. Besides, Doyle said—"

"Ugh, not _Doyle_ again," Kate groaned.

"He _said_," Castle continued, "that we would have three kids; a perfect number, if you ask me. Two boys and a little girl? Wouldn't that be nice?"

Kate pictured it; two mischievous little boys with floppy brown hair and blue eyes running amok and a tough-as-nails girl with bright blue eyes, a dimpled grin and reddish-brown pigtails, all three of the kids dogpiling on their adoring father.

Yeah, the thought was attractive; it was just the energy and chaos that scared her. But, looking into her soon-to-be husband's eyes, she realized something; something they'd talked about just a few hours earlier.

She would not be alone in this—and neither would he. They would raise their children together, as a family, with Martha and Alexis and Jim, and the boys and Lanie and even Gates by their side. They would _never _be alone in this.

And that, in and of itself, was incredibly comforting.

**REVIEWS! I'm thinking that the next one might have little Nia Esposito (and her siblings perhaps) in it if anybody could think of a situation for Esplanie. Or for the Castle (entire cast) kids.**


	29. Chapter 29

**Okay, I promised some Nia and other Esplanie and Castle kids, so here goes! Enjoy!**

**Prompt: All the Castle children (including baby Nate)**

"Who woulda thought," Castle said as he, his wife, and their three youngest squeezed into their seats, wedged between the Esposito and Ryan families, "that our kids would be into _ballet_?"

"You say that as if it's something weird," Kate replied, rocking baby Nate in her arms.

"Well, I mean…I always say ballet as a kind of _feminine _thing," Castle replied shrugging. "You know, that close-minded thinking that it's for girly girls; not for boys."

Kate rolled her eyes at that. "Why does everybody think that?" she asked nobody in particular. "Ballet is extremely difficult."

"Got that right," Lanie put in, leaning forward to glare at Castle around Beckett. "My toes are _still _sore from those damn shoes."

"Hey!" Ryan exclaimed, covering his youngest son, Colin's, ears. "Language! There are children here!"

Lanie held up her own son, three-year-old Christopher. "You don't think I know that already?" she said. "All you gotta do is tell them not to use the word, Kev; works for my kids." Ryan didn't reply. "Anyway," she went on, turning back to Castle, "as I was saying; ballet is hard, Castle. It makes your whole body ache…'specially the toes; and it takes _years _to learn. But just because it's _dance_…that's what makes the men shy away, I think. A lot of them, anyway." She eyed her husband, who rolled his eyes.

"Can we _please _let that go?" he said, exasperated.

"No, we cannot," Lanie said. At Beckett's questioning look, she informed her, "He said that learning how to tackle a guy and run over some lines is harder than learning how to stand and turn while standing on your tip toes and doing a leap across a full stage while looking graceful and tall…please!"

Kate snorted at that, bouncing her son, who echoed the sound. She grinned down at him and kissed the fair brown hair on his head. He patted her cheek and she giggled.

In truth, she wasn't so much surprised by the fact that her eldest son, RJ, had chosen to take ballet with Nia and Claudia Esposito and Sarah Grace and Sinead Ryan; she was more surprised by the fact that he seemed to have a 'natural aptitude' for it, as their teacher, Madam Colette, had said. The French woman had simply gushed over him after only two weeks of class, telling Kate that she couldn't believe that such a young man could be as athletic and graceful as RJ was. Castle wasn't surprised, however.

"I always say he takes after you," he told her later that night. "Kid's like a gazelle; not at all like the bumbling rhino he has for a father." Kate had laughed at that and kissed him, stroking his cheek.

"You're not a rhino," she told him. "A big clumsy puppy, maybe, but not a rhino."

"I dunno," Castle replied. "Sometimes, I _do _get a little ho—" Kate had slapped her hand over his mouth at that, effectively silencing him.

And the first time she'd seen him in action…well, she had to agree both with her husband and Madam Colette; RJ _was _like a gazelle, graceful and quick on his feet. He caught Nia, who was usually his partner during dance numbers, like a pro, lifted her above his head like she weighed next to nothing—which, since she took after her petite mother, wasn't too far off from the truth—and the little girl was just as graceful. Her body barely shook with the strain of holding her body still when balanced on her toes, but Kate figured that had more to do with the fact that Lanie had been teaching her to dance since she could practically walk.

Claudia was a bit more like her father; impatient and energetic. The six-year-old always moved too quickly for the rhythm of the dance and was often chastised for it, but she was still young, still learning. And her mother and big sister helped her a lot. But she still had a long way to go.

Sarah Grace and Sinead, both like little Jenny clones, were not quite as graceful as Nia or RJ yet, but they were both talented in their own right. Jenny had been a ballerina through high school and, like Lanie, had taught her children basic moves before they had officially signed up for class. Sarah Grace didn't seem as serious about it as Sinead, but they both seemed to have a lot of fun during the rehearsals…even when they fell. The girls were nearly inseparable, too, despite their four-year age difference; it was actually Sinead's idea to start taking ballet when she was little and saw Nia, her best friend, sign up, and Sarah Grace went along, as well. Whatever one of them did, the other did—or supported them, at the very least, enthusiastically.

Kate looked next to herself, at the two girls sitting between her and Castle. Martha and Johanna, otherwise known as "Marti" and "Joey" were just as inseparable, but neither was much of a dancer. To Kate's delight, they preferred kick-boxing, which Kate had taken when she was young, as well. They still only had their yellow belts, but their teacher, Mr. Wright, told Castle and Kate that they would be moving up in class soon. Kate just hoped that there wouldn't be and mean boys who would bully them out of class the way they did to Kate when she was young; she hadn't gotten much further than a brown belt before she'd allowed two jerks to make her feel so bad that she finally just stopped going. She'd had to start over years later, in college, but she eventually received her black belt in kick-boxing—and then two more in Tae Kwon Do and Jujitsu. She hoped that the same wouldn't happen to her girls.

"Mommy," Joey said, looking up at her, green eyes twinkling, "when's the dancing gonna start?" Kate smiled down at her and stroked her cheek with her thumb.

"Soon, baby," she said. "Very soon."

"RJ's the star, right?" Marti asked, peering around her sister, at Kate.

"Not exactly," she said, honestly. "He's still too young, but he will play a big part."

"Really?" Joey asked. "Which part?"

"You'll see," Kate sighed; they must have told the twins a thousand times but, like their father, they usually got distracted by 'shiny' things. Or maybe that was just the seven-year-old sensibility…

She turned to look at her husband, who was attempting to catch gummy bears—where did he even get those and why hasn't he offered her any?—in his mouth and ended up hitting the elderly woman behind him, offering an apologetic smile at the action.

She sighed; there really is very little difference between her husband and a seven-year old, isn't there?

Just as she had this thought, the lights dimmed and music began to play; soft at first, then louder and more dramatically. In her lap, Nate peered around, surprised by the sudden lack of light, to be sure, as object permanence still hadn't developed in his brain yet. Kate chuckled, wrapping her arms around his tiny body, kissing his temple.

"It's okay, sweetie," she whispered soothingly in his ear, "the lights will come back." He moved back into her, turning to settle his head on her chest, repositioning himself to be cradled. She kissed him again and looked up just in time to see the lights come up and the curtains open.

There was a soft roar of applause, before the music's tempo changed and the first dancer appeared and Lanie practically clawed Kate's arm. Kate just smirked as she watched Nia look around, prancing gracefully from one end of the stage to the other. Kate could see the tears shining in Lanie's eyes as they watched Nia lead the first dance; she felt tears of her own prick at her eyes when RJ leaped on, dancing with just as much grace as he lifted the smaller girl and walked around the stage holding her, while Nia smiled brightly and shook only with a single giggle before schooling her features.

Throughout the rest of the show, even though they weren't the stars, those two shone on the stage. Kate was sure that anybody could see it; how two of the younger age group moved so flawlessly with each other and the rest of the dancers, lifting and leaping and turning and just being phenomenal.

By the end of the show, nearly everybody was on their feet for the bows, clapping and hooting as a few roses flew at the stage in cliché fashion. Nia and Claudia and RJ and Sarah Grace and Sinead all held hands as they bowed with the other children, all with bright smiles on their faces.

Afterwards, they met their parents with big hugs and kisses, talking excitedly about their show and how much fun it was to do. Nia practically climbed up her father's body, settling on his back and getting him into an imitation of a headlock, joking about how much stronger she was than him now because of all her practice. For his part, Espo pretended to choke for her, laughing along with her as he picked up Claudia.

"Both my girls are tough," he said, tickling the younger girl's side. "I'm so proud of you both." Though he would never admit to it, Kate knew that she saw him dabbing his eyes during the show, as much as—if not more than—Lanie.

"Thanks, Daddy!" they chorused.

"We're proud of you, too," Ryan told his daughters as he kissed each one of them. Jenny, holding their third daughter, Connie, pulled them in for a group hug, tugging their eldest son, Brandon, in as well. Meanwhile, Kate showered her son with kisses, making the boy blush bright red, but he never pulled away.

Once they were finished congratulating their children, Castle spoke up. "Who else is hungry?" he asked. "I'm thinking Remy's and then maybe we can go to Rockefeller to see the tree? Who's with me?"

"Me!" the uneven chorus of twelve high-pitched voices said at once. Castle laughed.

"It's settled then," he said, helping his youngest into their jackets. "Let's hit the road, gang."

He grabbed his wife's hand in his as he followed the line of children—all older siblings holding their younger siblings' hands—out the door into the blustery December night.

**REVIEWS please! There will be more Nia and RJ shortly.**


	30. Chapter 30

**Okay, so people are complaining about the M-rating, but there's really nothing I can do about that because there ARE M-rated chapters in this story, okay? I'd rather not get disciplined for having an inappropriate rating. Also, if you want more M-rated things, then send me M-rated prompts her or on Tumblr (Cassbones). I'll be happy to fill them for you.**

**Anyway, here is another of my own ideas that combines adorable family Caskett and sexy Caskett. Enjoy!**

**Prompt: Castle and Beckett have a long overdue "date night".**

"Ooh, he's got my nose!" Castle announced, laughing as he stepped into the loft, toting his one-year-old son and an overstuffed diaper bag. "Kate, RJ took my nose!" he mock-whined as the baby giggled. There was no reply. "Kate? Honey, I'm home! And I brought in a stray! Can I keep him?" No reply. "I swear I'll feed him and potty train him and teach him all kinds of neat tricks and—"

Castle trailed off as Kate, his wife, his incredibly sexy, long-legged, model-esque-even-after-having-a-child wife, stepped out of their bedroom, clad in a decidedly alluring long red dress that looked as if it were made out of smoke it was so silky and sheer, a long slit cut up one side, revealing her thigh and making Castle's mouth water at the sight. Her hair was loose and wild around her shoulders, as well; tousled stylishly with a single blood-red clip holding it behind her ear on one side, while the other side fell over the opposite eye in a slight fringe.

Her lips and sky-high heels were the same shade of red and Castle felt his heart thump harder and faster in his chest at the sight, his eyes darkening almost immediately.

"Hi Mama!" RJ exclaimed, waving at her happily. Castle startled and suddenly remembered that he was carrying a child, his hand automatically raising to cover the baby's eyes, making RJ giggle.

"Kate," he said, trying to keep his voice even, "why…do you really think that's appropriate dress for dinner with our eighteen-month-old son?"

Kate smirked at that, the corners of her mouth curling evilly as she shook her head. "Not at all," she purred. "But it _is _the proper attire for date night, don't you think?"

"D-date night?" he stuttered, stupidly. Kate nodded, before turning her head to look upstairs.

"Alexis!" she called. "You ready to go?"

Two seconds later, his eldest appeared, dressed snugly in a coat, scarf, and hat, her boots already on her feet and her backpack in place.

"Ready!" she said, instantly relieving him of her younger sibling and the diaper bag, kissing him on his cheek in greeting.

"Hi Dad, bye Dad!" she said. "We'll see you guys in the morning!"

"In the morning?" Castle asked. "Wait! Where are you going?"

"Detective Esposito and Dr. Parrish asked me to babysit for the night, so I figured I'd kill two birds with one stone and take RJ with me; besides, Kate said something about a date night?"

"Oh, did she now?" he asked, looking between them. "Because she didn't say _anything _to me about it! I haven't made any reservations or hired a limo or—"

"Babe, _relax_," Kate said, draping herself against his side, making him shiver with the whispers she lent to his ear. "I've got it _all _taken care of; you'll see."

"Bye, Alexis," Castle said, not even looking at his daughter. "Bye, RJ; have a nice night!"

Alexis rolled her eyes and started to leave, before Kate stopped her, planting a big kiss on the baby's cheek, leaving a bright red mark.

"Be good," she said, nuzzling him, before letting them go. RJ waved to them over his sister's shoulder and only Kate had the brain function to wave back, before pulling a 180—both physically and metaphorically—and turning her smoky, heavily-lined and predatory gaze on her husband.

"Now," she purred, "where were we?"

Castle's eyes and mouth both widened, but he couldn't form any words, so he just stood there—gaping—as his wife, who was as gorgeous and alluring as the day they met, if not more so, circled him like a lioness circled her prey. Her eyes raked over every inch of her body as she allowed one single finger to trail over his chest, circling around all the way to his shoulders. Castle swallowed thickly.

"My mother," he choked out. "Where's my mother?"

"Hotel," Kate replied. "Our treat."

"Naturally," he quipped, wondering how he still had enough brain function to make such a comment. "Dinner?"

"In the oven," Kate replied, easily. "I ordered in Italian; we can warm it up whenever we're ready to eat."

"I see…are we ready to eat now or…?"

Kate stopped in front of him, one eyebrow quirked. "You really want food right now?" she asked, already knowing the answer by the stormy depths of his eyes. Castle shook his head.

"No," he said, his voice gravelly, "but I could eat…something." Kate had the suppress the natural eye roll and instead grinned, leaning in to press her lips to his, immediately nipping and sucking and invading his mouth with her tongue, moaning as she felt him respond enthusiastically, his hands gripping her hips, bunching up the sheer material of her dress.

"God," he groaned, "what's this even _made _of?"

"No idea," Kate moaned against his lips, as they began moving around the apartment, blindly, looking for some kind of flat surface, "but it was expensive."

"Mm," Castle hummed against her neck, nipping at her pulse point, "so I shouldn't rip it?"

"I'd rather you didn't," Kate sighed back. "But it would be incredibly hot if you did."

As he trailed kisses across her collarbone, Castle thought about what was more important; money or pleasure. It took him less than a second to make his decision.

"I'll buy you another," he promised as he tore apart the bodice of the dress, making her gasp as her breasts were bared to the air—not that they'd really been all that covered before, but still.

She had no time to make a smartass comment about his impatience, however, as he immediately took one plump, firm nipple into his mouth, making her groan as he pushed her back against the dining room table, her knees buckling slightly. Castle caught her under the thighs and lifted her until she was settled on the edge, her thighs open and welcoming, the ripped top-half of the dressed sagging around her shoulders, revealing her breasts from nearly every angle.

Castle growled low in his throat as he attacked them, once again, with nips and kisses and sucks, his hands kneading them as he did so. Kate's hands, meanwhile, sunk themselves into his hair, tugging at the strands and holding on for dear life as he left mark after mark in nearly a straight line across her chest, humming and groaning and making even more absurd sounds as he went.

Kate was practically a puddle on the table when he finally came up for air, pulling away to divest himself of his shirt and blazer.

"No fair," Kate whined, pouting. "That's my job."

"You can take off my pants," he suggested, swinging his hips out towards her. Kate gave him an evil grin as she tugged at his waistband, pulling him a step forward as she got to work, unbuckling it and slowly tugging it out of the holes, looking up at him from beneath her lashes as she did. Castle swallowed thickly, his hands itching to reach out and touch her, allow his hands to roam all over her until she was quivering before him.

But it was her turn; and she'd kill him if he spoiled it for her.

So he allowed her to agonizingly slowly pull down the zipper on his jeans, her fingers brushing against his hardness as she unbuttoned them and stroked her hands in, over his boxers, and slowly lowered the jeans until they were around his knees. Her eyes never left his—until now.

Kate licked her lips as she glanced down to see the obvious tent in his boxers, the material stretched taught around him. Kate palmed him through the silk material and Castle inhaled sharply, his body bowing forward, his hands gripping the edge of the table. Kate pressed her lips to his shoulder, smiling against the soft skin.

"Still hungry?" she asked.

Castle pulled back, gazing darkly into her eyes.

"Yes," he growled, before attacking her lips again, his hands swatting hers away from his groin as he reached for the skirt of her dress, his hand, both soft and rough at the same time, running up the slit at her left side until he heard the sheer fabric rip and give way, pooling in her lap as it tore clean in half and fell from her naked body. Castle groaned. "No panties, either?" he growled in her ear. Kate chuckled in return.

"Panty lines," she replied, by way of explanation. Castle growled again and attacked her neck, creating love bites that she'd need a turtleneck or scarf to cover up—she'd punish him for that later, no doubt. Once again, he trailed kisses over her body, but this time he headed south, towards her center, his hands moving the torn fabric of that sinful dress aside as he fell to his knees in front of her, his head at perfect eye-level with her heat.

Richard Castle was never one to go slow when doing…well, _this_. He took his time, mapping out every inch around the immediate area; her thighs, her belly, even as far as her knees, before finally getting to the main event.

Today was no different.

Kate was a quivering mess by the time he finally opened his mouth over her wetness, his tongue gliding through her folds as she buried one hand in his hair, the other gripping the edge of the table, her back bowing, pushing her center further against him. Castle grinned against her, raising her legs to hook over his shoulders, granting him better access as he entered her with his tongue, one hand lifting to thumb her clit as he sucked and nipped her, feeling her body quiver with increasing frequency.

"Castle," she gasped, her hand tugging on his hair. "Please, Castle." She shivered, her hips bucking. "Please," she sighed as she felt the waves of her orgasm wash over her, her entire body vibrating as she rode the waves, both hands now tugging on his hair as her feet planted firmly on his shoulders, allowing her hips to rise further.

Castle lapped at her as she rode out the waves, prolonging her pleasure until he was able to slowly bring her back down to earth. Kate lay back on the table, her chest heaving with her heavy breaths, her hands running through her hair, which was even more mussed now than it had been when he'd arrived home.

Castle licked his lips, making sure she saw, as he rose to his feet, ignoring the slight creaking in his knee joints. She smiled down at her, his hands holding him up above her as he leaned down, pressing a gentle kiss to her lips.

"So…" he said, "ready to eat?"

"Mm," Kate hummed, her eyes opening to stare predatorily up at him. "Not quite."

**REVIEWS please!**


	31. Chapter 31

**Hidee-ho, neighboroonies! (I've always wanted to say that) I got an interesting AU prompt that I'm gonna roll with (and put on the 'should-probably-be-its-own-longer-piece' list) Enjoy!**

**Prompt: Knocked on Wrong Door AU.**

Kate's heart was pounding furiously against her ribcage.

_THUMP. THUMP. THUMP._

She was only twenty-one years old and already starring in her first Broadway show.

Well…sort of.

She was only the understudy for the _actual _lead—some redheaded Godzilla who called her Carrie and treated her like a personal slave—who, no big surprise, hadn't shown up. Not yet, at least. Kate found herself half-hoping that she would get here in time to save her from the impending heart attack that was the Gershwin Theater, whose crowd threatened to swallow her up the second she stepped onstage.

You know, _metaphorically-speaking._ Almost.

_Thump. Thump. Thump._

Kate forced herself to take a deep breath, letting it out as slowly as she could manage before looking at the watch her parents had gifted her when she first got the role—not the lead; _her _role of the other lead's prissy friend, who had, like, five lines. Oh God, she wanted that role back. She wasn't ready for this. She couldn't _do _this. Meredith would—

_Knock. Knock._

Kate whirled towards the door, praying like she'd never done before that it was the blue-eyed devil herself, here to demand her costume and jewelry back and kick Kate—quite literally—_out _of the dressing room.

Kate braced herself as she reached the door, grasping the knob in her hand and turning…only to find herself with a face full of elegant and sweet-smelling red roses while two voices chorused out, "_Surprise_!" Neither of which she recognized.

"Uh…hello?" she replied, peering over the bouquet, her green eyes meeting with a pair of bright blue ones, covered partially by floppy brown hair. They widened at the sight and suddenly the bouquet was lowered, revealing a tiny, redheaded, blue-eyed girl situated on his hip. The child's smile slowly fell until she was regarding Kate with a look of pure confusion.

Kate barely even noticed her, though, because her heart suddenly stopped.

_Thump. Th-thump._

Richard Castle. Richard _Flippin' _Castle! Her mother's favorite author—and, admittedly, _her _favorite author.

Kate forced herself to stay calm even as her inner-fangirl went off the rails, causing her to scream internally, even as she called on a childhood of acting lessons to school her features.

"You're not Meredith," he—that is to say, _Richard Freakin' Castle—_said, dumbly. "I mean…hi. Um, I think we may have the wrong room."

"But Mommy's name is on the door," the little girl—who couldn't be more than four, but could apparently _read_?—pointed out.

"Oh, she's not here tonight," Kate informed them.

"She's not?" Castle asked. "Is she…sick?"

Kate shrugged. "I'm not sure, honestly," she replied. "I'm Kate and I'm just her understudy so…" she shrugged again, feeling stupid for not having a better excuse for being their instead of the person they were so obviously excited to see. Then a thought struck her. "Your wife didn't tell you?" she asked.

Castle flushed. "We're uh…divorced, actually," he informed her. "I just heard that she got the lead in this play so I thought…well, I thought I'd bring Alexis to see her mother." He motioned towards the girl, who was still regarding the older woman.

Kate's eyes widened at that. "Meredith is your mother?" she asked the little girl and she nodded, slowly. Kate smiled. "You look just like her; very pretty eyes." Suddenly, the girl was beaming, revealing a gap where her front tooth should be. She was adorable and she really _did _look like Meredith, but Kate hoped she hadn't inherited any of her mother's rude mannerisms.

"Thank you," Alexis said, still beaming.

"You're welcome," Kate replied, easily; she'd always been good with children, though less good with babies. She shuddered at the mere thought, before remembering herself and offering them both an apologetic smile. "Sorry to disappoint," she said.

Richard Castle offered her a devastatingly handsome smile. "No disappointment at all," he replied, pushing the bouquet at her. "Break a leg." Kate flushed, wrapping her arms around the generous bouquet, unable to stop the large, goofy grin from breaking out over her face.

"Thank you," she said, softly. Castle just nodded and turned around, starting to make his way back, but Kate's voice stopped him.

"Mr. Castle," she called out—realizing belatedly that he'd never actually given her his name—and her turned to look over his shoulder at her, his daughter doing the same, one eyebrow quirked in question. "If…if you want, you could meet me at the stage door; I know that my mother is a big fan of yours." It wasn't a lie, but it was only half true; Kate, herself, was the epitome of a huge fan.

But he didn't need to know that…yet.

Castle grinned at her and nodded. "That sounds nice," he said. "I'll see you after the show." Kate nodded, smiling as Alexis waved to her. Kate gave her a small wave back, before shutting the door, inhaling the sweet scent of the flowers in her arms.

_Thump. Thump. Thump._

She took another deep breath, placing the flowers on her vanity table and looking at herself in the mirror, locking eyes with her reflection.

"You can do this," she told herself, firmly. She looked, again, at her watch and sighed. Five minutes to curtain. Not only would she have to perform tonight, but due to Meredith's constant unpunctuality and diva-like behavior, she will have just earned her last strike—at least according to the livid director, who cursed her name up and down these halls more than once—and her _understudy _(i.e. Kate Beckett) would take her place.

_Permanently._

_Thump. Thump. Thump. Thump. Thump._

Kate reached for the neckline of the simple frock she wore and dug under to find the chain she never took off, where hung the most important possession she owned; her grandmother's ring. It was another gift, from her mother, after she landed her first role in the chorus of _Annie Get Your Gun_ off-Broadway.

"A symbol of one of the most important milestones of your life," he mother had said. "Passed down from mother to daughter for generations; it's finally your time, Katie." Kate smiled at the thought of her mother, who, along with her father, would no doubt be cheering the loudest of anyone in the audience tonight.

There was another knock on the door, this time accompanied by a familiar voice.

"Miss Beckett," Ryan, one of the stage hands said, "two minutes to curtain."

"I'll be right out," Kate replied, pleasantly; she'd always liked Ryan. She took another hard look at herself in the mirror, before glancing down at the flowers, allowing a soft smile to bloom on her face as his words echoed in her ear.

"_Break a leg."_

She would do more than that. She would bring this entire house down.

Kate unlatched the watch from her wrist, checking to see that it was not stained, and set it next to the bouquet, before making her way out, following Ryan to the stage, where she waited for her cue.

_Thump. Thump. Thump._

**XXX**

"Oh, Katie, you were wonderful!" Johanna Beckett gushed, cupping her daughter's cheeks in her palms. Kate beamed, her eyes filling with proud tears.

"You're just saying that for the bragging rights," Kate quipped.

"Only partly true," her father returned, stroking her hair. "But you really _were _amazing, dear. All those lessons really paid off, huh?"

Kate shrugged. "I guess so," she said.

"Elphaba! Elphaba! Can I have your autograph!" Kate turned to smile at a teenage girl, flanked by countless others, all holding out playbills and sharpies to her. She nodded.

"Sure," she said, feeling something lift in her heart as she signed her name over and over again.

_Thump. Thump. Thump._

When her hand starting cramping, she had to deny the autographs, but posed for photographs until she was practically blind and stumbling back to her parents, losing her balance. Before she could even attempt to catch herself, however, somebody else's hands were grabbing one of hers and wrapping around her waist, helping her up.

"Careful," the familiar voice said, and she could practically hear his grin. She looked up, the butterflies that had been churning in her stomach all night returning full force at the crinkled blue eyes she was staring into.

"Mr. Castle," she said, smiling dazedly. "Hi."

"Call me Rick, please," he said. "Mr. Castle makes me sound like a teacher." Kate rolled her eyes, grinning still as she straightened.

"Thanks," she said, "Rick."

"No problem," Castle replied.

"Hi, Kate!" a little voice said and Kate looked down, smiling at the bouncing little girl.

"Hello, Alexis," she greeted. "Did you enjoy the show?"

Alexis nodded. "Yeah! You were _soooooo _good!" she exclaimed.

"Really?" Kate asked, still unsure. Alexis nodded enthusiastically and Kate laughed. "Well, thank you."

"You're welcome!"

"So, Kate," Castle said, bringing her attention back to him. "Alexis and I were wondering if you would like to—"

"OH. MY. GOD." Kate and Rick and Alexis all turned at the exclamation, finding Johanna Beckett with her eyes practically bugging out of her head. "RICHARD CASTLE?!" In the next second, she was in her husband's arms, having fainted. Kate flushed with embarrassment when Rick turned to her.

"Your mother?" he asked. She nodded.

"Yup."

"You weren't kidding when you said she was a fan, huh?" he commented.

"Nope."

**REVIEWS!**


	32. Chapter 32

**I love the response to the last one, guys! It is DEFINITELY on my (admittedly very long) list of fics to write later. As are a few more; one of which I am making a oneshot/opening right now. Enjoy!**

**Prompt: Kate and the boys are runaways and Castle and Lanie are wealthy kids they meet AU.**

The floorboard creaked under Kate's foot and she let out a string of whispered curses, keeping her body agonizingly still as she waited for something—an angry voice or a foot step or a light flipping on in her foster parents' room, but there was nothing; only silence.

So she continued, making it all the way to the second-story window at the end of the hall before a voice stopped her.

"Kate?" She turned in alarm, her body relaxing when she met a pair of soft blue eyes.

"Kevin," she sighed, looking sternly down at the seven-year-old boy who was currently clutching a tattered old bear, given to him by his now-deceased mother. "What are you doing out of bed?" she asked, her eyes widening at the sight of his sneaker-encased feet. "And why aren't you in your pajamas?"

"Because," a voice from the open room next to him said, "we're coming with you."

Fourteen-year-old Javier stepped out, two backpacks in his hands, his leather jacket on his back and a ragged hoody in his hands. He helped Ryan into it and the little boy was practically swimming in the cotton, looking so much smaller with it on than ever.

"No," Kate said, shaking her head. "You're not; you two have to stay here so Eustace and Cynthia—"

"Beat our asses again?" Javi interrupted, narrowing her eyes. "For what this time? Forgetting to put the seat down or washing the dishes the wrong way? Do you remember the _last _time Kev dropped a dish?" Kate looked away; she didn't have to try hard to remember as the result was still on little Kevin's face, still surrounding his left eye.

"Nothing like will happen if you get caught running away with me," Kate tried to argue. "If I get caught, then—"

"They'll punish all of us," Javier interrupted, again. "You know they will. You and me and Maddie and Tom and Josh and Tory and…and Kevin. Doesn't matter who does the running away; all of us will get beat the second they find you. But as long as none of us get found…"

"They won't do anything," Kate sighed, "because Social Services will be swarming the place."

"They might even get their license taken away," Javi added with a grin.

"Hopefully."

"Then let us come with you," Javier urged. "You know I can outrun the cops."

"What about Kevin?" Kate asked.

"I can't just leave him here," Javier replied. "Not after last time."

Kate shuddered as the memory of Kevin's cries echoed in her ears. He was so small, so fragile…

"Fine," Kate sighed, shaking off the memories, "you can come. But _be quiet._" She turned away before she could see their victorious grins or the fist bump they exchanged, making her way towards the window leading out onto the fire escape. She opened it as quickly and quietly as possible before climbing out and motioning back for them to hurry up and follow. The boys tip-toed after her, Javi lifted Kevin up and helped him out onto the escape, where Kate led him down the stairs to the first floor.

Kate used the ladder to slide down to the ground and held it for the boys to use after her. When they were finally standing in the alley between buildings, Javier and Kevin looked to Kate for guidance.

"Where do you wanna go, boss?" Javi asked the older girl. Kate eyed the end of the alley, looking towards the street, and took a deep breath.

She knew what she wanted to say. She wanted to say, _'Home,'_ but that really wasn't an option because, really, none of them _had _a home. Javi's mother had been unable to care for him after his father left, leaving her in a Depression so deep that she'd lost the will to live and instead relied on booze and the numbing vice of drugs to get her through the day. She'd OD'd a little over a year ago and, while she hadn't died, she'd been placed in a state rehab center where she could 'recover' while her son was placed with more 'responsible' guardians, after his father expressed no interest in getting him back.

Kevin, on the other hand, had been well-loved by both parents and three older sisters before an accident on the Major Deegan took it all away. His sisters were all alive and well, but the eldest was only sixteen, and not yet old enough to care for her younger siblings. Kevin didn't even know where they were.

Kate's own story was just as traumatic and a mix of the two boys. She, too, had once had two loving parents; a mother whose smile lit up the room and whose bright green eyes reflected those of her daughter's, and a father who once laughed and joked and embarrassed Kate to no end, but one she loved like no other. Then her mother was found stabbed to death in an alley and it all went to hell. The police called it an act of random gang violence and closed the case within a day, and her father took the entire thing hard, turning to the bottle to numb his pain, leaving Kate to her own sorrow.

She'd been taken out from under his care after she'd called 911 when he stopped breathing one night. She'd watched him get carried out on a stretcher, tears in her eyes and fear in her heart, only to find out that he was fine, but could no longer care for her.

She was only twelve years old and still smarting from losing her mother. Her father still had not been released from the rehab center they sent him to, but she kept his watch—and her mother's ring—nearby, praying and hoping for that day to come.

At least, _she had_; now, though, she was taking things into her own hand. At fifteen years old, she would be able to take care of herself…and now these two. She eyed the younger boys looking up at her with apprehension. She was more than confident in Javi's ability to care for himself—after all, he'd been only eight when his mother OD'd—but Kevin was a different story altogether. He was still little, still vulnerable, and she wasn't sure…

"Kate?" She blinked at the small voice and offered a small, hopefully reassuring, grin to the boy. "What do we do now?"

She had no idea.

**XXX**

"Lanie!" Rick yelled, knocking on the bathroom door. "Hurry up! I gotta pee!"

"Wait your turn, Writer Boy!" his little sister yelled back.

"DON'T CALL ME THAT!" Rick barked back, fuming. Little sisters were the worst; why did he ever want one?

When his mother and hers had started dating, Rick had been only three, but he still remembered Annabelle Parish, his mother's pregnant new 'friend' entering their lives. He's sure it had all started out innocent—the way his mother told the story—but it had grown quickly into some overdramatic—the way his mother told the story—love affair. By the time his 'baby sister' Delaney—or Lanie, as she preferred to be called—was born, he was already calling Annabelle 'Mama' and the woman fussed over him the same way his birthmother, Martha, had.

And while the kids at school often made fun of the pair, as far as Rick was concerned, Lanie _was _his sister, and he'd do anything for her.

Except, maybe, wait another damn minute for the bathroom.

"LANIE!" he roared, banging at the door.

"Richard Alexander Rodgers!" Martha Rodgers admonished her son. "You stop yelling this instant! You are _not _a caveman."

"She's taking _forever_, though," Rick—the sixteen-year-old—practically whined. "And I'm about to wet my pants!"

Martha rolled her eyes. "How charming," she scoffed, before making her way to the door and knocking. "Delaney, sweetheart, it's time to come out. It's your brother's turn to use the bathroom."

As if she'd spoken the magic words, the door flew open and Lanie, all bright-eyed and bubbly, stepped out of the bathroom, her makeup bag in her hands. "Okay, Mother," she said, obediently, before making her way back to her bedroom. Castle watched her with a glare.

"You see, Richard," Martha said. "All you had to do was ask _nicely_."

"Yeah, whatever," Rick grumbled, practically sprinting into the bathroom to relieve himself.

Little sisters were the worst.

**XXXX**

"Rick, hurry up!" Lanie growled at her older brother, tugging on his arm. "We're gonna be late!"

"Hold on," Rick replied, shaking her off. "I think they've got a new one!"

"It's just a book, ya nerd! Nothin' special; now come on! I have a math test!"

"Now who's the nerd," Rick teased, allowing her to pull him down the street. Lanie just stuck her tongue out at him as they continued walking.

The sights and sounds of New York City in the morning were like a soundtrack for the pair, carrying them through the Upper East Side on their way to school. Since his mother's rise to fame on the Broadway stage and Annabelle's increased success rate at the offices of Harper, Coleman, and—now—Parish, they'd moved from a small, two-bedroom, three-story walk up in Riverdale, to a four-bedroom loft in Manhattan…but, for some reason, they still only had one bathroom.

Rick let that fact slide off him though as he walked through the busy Manhattan streets, taking in every tiny detail around him. The construction men drilling the sidewalk; the hoard of formally-dressed businessmen waiting for the light to change; the smell of the hot dog vendors, already setting up for the day; and the girl currently _stealing _from the guy selling nuts.

Wait, what?

Rick came to a complete halt, pulling his sister back into his chest with an 'oof' as he squinted his eyes at the girl currently sneaking behind the vendor's back, scooping a large helping of nuts into a paper bag while the man was distracted by a crying little boy, clutching a teddy bear. The man looked distressed and terrified to so much as touch the child, but his eyes never left him for longer than it took to glance around, obviously hoping for the boy's parents to materialize. Meanwhile, the girl was able to fill her bag with nuts and shove them into the worn and ratty backpack she carried, before surreptitiously slipping away, waving her hand to somebody; a boy.

The boy, dark-skinned and shorter than the girl, ran up to them, dropping to his knees in front of the boy, who startled, his face brightening as he locked eyes with the older boy and threw his arms around his neck.

Rick couldn't hear what they were saying, but the older boy's words sounded firm and reprimanding, even as he patted the smaller boy's back soothingly, looking up at the vendor with a grateful smile. The vendor nodded and the boys walked away, the bigger one carrying the smaller.

Rick's eyes were wide throughout this entire spectacle and, without thinking, he headed after them.

"Rick?" Lanie asked, watching as her brother walked away—in the completely wrong direction—"Where are you going? Rick?" He didn't even acknowledge her, expertly weaving around other pedestrians as he trailed after the two boys, following them right into an alley situated between a shoe store and a barber shop, where, unsurprisingly, the girl from before was waiting, already popping walnuts into her mouth.

"Finally," she said, teasingly, grinning at the two. "I thought I was gonna have to eat breakfast all by myself."

"Yeah, right!" the older boy laughed, snatching the back from her hands. "I'm starvin', Chica; lemme have some of that."

"Me too!" the little boy said, reaching for the bag. The older boy held it away.

"Cup your hands, little man," he said and the boy did what he was told. The older boy poured a generous helping into them and the other practically shoved his face into his hands, gobbling them up.

"Watch you don't choke," the girl warned, grinning. Rick's heart thumped at the sight of her smile; he'd never seen anything so beautiful before…

"Rick?" His sister's voice startled him so badly that he fell over, sprawling on the ground, causing the three unknown kids to look up, their eyes wide in confusion and fright.

He smiled lamely at them. "Uh…hi?"

Immediately, the older boy's eyes narrowed, focusing on him with a laser-like intensity, making him seem more intimidating, despite being nearly a foot shorter than Rick.

"Who the hell are you?" he growled.

"Uh…Rick…Rick Castle," Rick lied—well, only _half-lied_, really. His name _was _Rick. "How ya doin'?"

"Idiot," Lanie grumbled, stepping into the alley, further surprising the three strangers. She looked from one to the other. "Hey," she said.

"Who are you?" the older boy, who looked like he was…_blushing_(?) asked her.

"Lanie," the dark-skinned girl replied. "And this is my idiot, so I'm just going to take him and…"

"No!" Rick groaned, getting to his feet. "We can't leave yet! I have to ask them why they're here and why she stole those nuts!"

The other girl's eyes widened. "What?" she exclaimed. "I-I didn't steal these!"

"Yeah you did," Rick replied. "I saw you take them while he was crying; nice fake tears, by the way," he said, smiling at the little boy, who grinned.

"Thanks!" he replied.

"Quiet, Kevin," the girl said, before glaring up at Rick. "What do you want from us?" she growled. "Money? Cuz we don't have any, obviously."

"Why would I want money?" Rick asked, tilting his head to the side. "I have my own."

"Then what do you want?" she hissed, folding her arms over her chest. The boys copied her movements, an old teddy bear wedged in the crook of the younger one's elbow.

"Uh, your name?" Rick replied. "For starters, anyhow. And, maybe…your story?"

**This will eventually be continued. It's something I've been meaning to start for a while. I'll probably rewrite this for the full-length one but I wanted to give you a little taste of what I had in mind. Anyways, review!**


	33. Chapter 33

**Prompt: Castle returns from his 'ordeal' with a beard and Kate shaves him 'Nikki Heat'-style.**

"I can't believe how hairy you got in only six weeks," Kate comments as she straddles her fiancé's thigh, on hand wielding his safety razor and the other planted firmly on his shoulder, keeping her from losing her balance. It feels so good to be near him again; to touch him, to smell him, to kiss him whenever she wants…

You know, when he _doesn't _have a half-shaving cream, half-wiry hair beard and mustache.

"What'd you expect?" Castle replies, his hands cupping her waist, yet another anchor to keep her from sliding off onto the bathroom floor. "I shave at noon and I look homeless by five; you know that." Kate snorts, shaking her head. His jokes, she decides, are something she's longed for as well during his absence.

"It's not _that _bad," she giggles.

"Kate, do we have to go over how many times I've given you beard burns over the last two years? The number is in the hundreds, by the way."

"I cannot believe you—oh wait, yes I can," Kate deadpans, rolling her eyes. "But it's never been that bad; besides, I kind of like you with a little scruff."

"Scruff is what I had when we first met," Castle replies, "and even then it looked like I should be in line at the soup kitchen. _Now_ I just look like a homeless Santa Claus."

"You're sure you don't want to wait until after the holidays?" she teases. "We can dye it white and walk around Central Park; make kids' days."

"Only if you'll agree to be my sexy elf," he purrs in return, his hands flexing on her hips. Kate snorts, shaking her head.

"In your dreams, fat boy," she replies, grinning down at him. He raises his head to kiss her but she backs away. "Nuh-huh," she says, "not with all that…_foam _on your face."

"Then hurry up and take it off," Castle whines, petulantly. "Wanna kiss you!"

Kate rolls her eyes but brings the razor to his face as quickly and cautiously as possible, letting it glide smoothly down his skin, revealing a strip of smooth, pink-hued flesh. She can't help but run her finger along the soft surface, smiling to herself as she rinses the razor, before going for another strip.

Piece by piece, that scraggly, scratchy hobo-reminiscent beard of his peels away, revealing him to her, the way she remembers him; rugged, square-jawed, handsome…Castle. _Her _Castle. She is awed by the faith he has in her as she runs the razor down the sensitive skin of his neck, where she could easily nick him. He doesn't even flinch, though, and Kate isn't sure if she could instill the same faith if he were shaving her legs or…_other _sensitive areas. She likes to believe he could do it with as much confidence as ease as she displays now, gliding the razor up and down his beautiful face.

When she's finished, when he finally looks like himself again, she finally allows him to kiss her, and kisses him enthusiastically right back, the razor dropping from her hands into the foamy sink water as she wraps her arms around his shoulders, leaning into his body, reveling in the feeling of his hands rubbing up and down her body, burying themselves in her hair.

When they pull back, both are panting, their breaths mingling, foreheads pressed together, noses just brushing.

"Welcome back," Kate whispers, and she means it to be a joke, but her voice breaks, her tease coming out in a soft sob. Castle raises one hand to cup her cheek, thumbing away a stray tear.

"There's no place I'd rather be," he whispers into the space between their lips, before reconnecting them again, his arms once again banding around her waist. Kate smiles into the kiss, squealing into his mouth as he suddenly stands. Her legs, which are still straddling his left thigh, wrap around it tightly as he walks—hobbles, more like it—out of the bathroom, not even pausing to shut off the light as he moves towards the bedroom.

When he drops her unceremoniously on the bed, draping his body over hers, Kate runs her fingers through his hair, nuzzling his nose for a second as he pauses his kisses.

"I love you, Richard Castle," she whispers against his lips. His grin is as wide and joyous and _familiar_ as always.

"I love you too, Katherine Beckett," he replies. "Always."

**REVEIWS!**

**I've got a few more prompts to go so I'll probs binge tonight and tomorrow so stay tuned!**


	34. Chapter 34

**I only need 6,000 words now to qualify for the Maxi FIcathon. A few might be T or K-rated, but I will hopefully give you one last M-rated before the end of it. Enjoy!**

**Prompt: "Please come get me?" (Pre-Always)**

It's nearly three in the morning when the annoying shrill of her cell phone rouses her. Kate groans into her pillow, cursing whatever inconsiderate _bastard_ couldn't wait a couple more hours to make his—or her—kill.

She reaches blindly for the phone on her nightstand, swipes the screen to answer the call without even checking and presses the phone to her right ear.

"Beckett," she growls, expecting it to be Esposito on the other line, ready to rattle off an address. Instead, the voice that responds is more official, and a little monotonous.

"_Somebody is attempting to call you from the Twentieth Precinct of the New York City Police Department; do you accept the charges?"_

Kate furrows her brow, lifting her head a bit, more alert now. "Uh…yes?" she answers, and though it's a question the machine switches the call and she hears a mechanical beep and then a familiar voice floats over the line.

"_Beckett?_"

Kate sits straight up in bed, her eyes wide, phone pressed to her ear.

"Castle?" What the fuck?

"_Uh…no questions, but can you come get me?_" The plea is almost desperate and very uncharacteristic of the cocky-playboy behavior she's used to.

"Come get you?" Kate asks, confused. "Why? Can't you just take a…" Her eyes widen as she realizes that he's called her, not just because he needs a ride, but because…

"CASTLE, ARE YOU IN JAIL?!" Her voice is so loud, she might have just woken the neighbors, but, God help her, she doesn't give a shit.

On the other end, Castle sighs. "_Yes,_" he says, "_and I'll explain everything later, just…please come get me._"

Kate looks at the clock and groans, falling back into her pillows. "Why didn't you just call Martha?" she asks.

"_My mother _cannot _see me like this,_" Castle replies firmly, making Kate's eyebrows rise. _"She'd never let me live it down._"

"Okay, now I _definitely _need to know what the hell is—"

"Kate," Castle practically whines. "_Please, just come and get me and you'll see for yourself. Please?"_

Kate sighs again. "Fine," she says, "but you owe me."

"_Duly noted_," Castle replies. "_Do you know where the Twentieth is?_"

"Yeah," she groans, standing up and stretching. "Ironically, I live closer to that one than I do the Twelfth. Do I need money to bail you out?"

"_If you don't mind; it's only two hundred, even, and I'll pay you back as soon as I get home."_

"Why don't you have any money with you?" Kate asks. He's a freakin' millionaire writer; shouldn't he carry at least _some _money with him?

"_I didn't have anywhere to put it," _he informs her and doesn't say anymore on the subject. "_I'll see you soon, Kate. Thank you." _

"Don't mention it," Kate sighs, looking in the mirror at her tired eyes. She hangs up the phone and tosses it to her bed, before making her way into the closet to get dressed.

She pauses halfway through pulling on an old, faded t-shirt.

"Didn't have anywhere to put it?"

What the fuck is going on?

**XXX**

She is _not _disappointed. Confounded, bewildered, and thoroughly amused, yes; but _definitely _not disappointed.

Because there he is, Richard Edgar Castle—writer, playboy, philanthropist…_drag queen_?

Kate nearly falls to the ground laughing, her knees practically buckling as the mirth shakes her body, snorting and honking, and making all those unattractive—but utterly adorable—laughing sounds as she takes in the sight before her.

He's standing there, on the other side of the bars, clutching them like a toddler in time-out, pouting at her with red-stained lips, his blue eyes glaring at her from under a fringed blonde wig as big as fucking _Texas._ And, if that weren't already enough, the tight pink sequined dress he's squeezed himself into is unbearably tight and form-fitting, leaving absolutely no doubt to what his biological sex is and…_those heels_!

Kate has to hold herself up against the wall when she catches sight of the heels he wears, the three-inch heels practically ready to snap under his weight. It takes her a moment—or, like, _twenty_—to compose herself, before she's ready to take him seriously—which takes a serious toll on her pokerface.

"Wh-what _happened_?" she chokes out, fighting back a giggle.

"It was for research," he explains quickly—too quickly. Kate snorts at that.

"For Nikki Heat?" she chokes out, sniggering.

"For Derrick Storm," Castle practically whispers. "Gina wants me to bring him back and, well, I figured I needed something to make him…_interesting _again."

"So you dressed up in _drag_?" Kate dissolves into another giggle fit.

"_For research, I swear!" _he insists, before sighing. "Can you just get me out of here, please?"

Kate nods, wiping away at a tear before turning to the guard that let her in.

"I'd like to post bail," she tells him, trying again to force back a giggle. The guard, she can tell, is also trying to hold back his own laughter.

"Follow me," he says, tightly. Kate follows him out of holding, where she signs papers and hands over two hundred dollars for…

"_Soliciting_?" Kate chokes. "_Him_?"

"Your boyfriend there was standing around with a bunch of known trans hookers; idiot even flirted with an undercover cop," the cop, Officer Sobecki, tells her.

Kate's eyebrows rise to meet her hairline. "_Seriously_?" she chokes, feeling her heart clench. "He flirted with an officer?"

"Made me feel _real _special, too," a voice—decidedly manly and gruff—says from behind the counter. Kate's heart lifts slightly at that, but still…_flirting with men_? What the hell? How was that 'research'?

Kate forces a chuckle—picturing him again helps a little—and quickly signs the papers for his release. "Can we…can we keep this out of the press?" she asks. "I wouldn't ask but, uh…he kind of has a reputation to uphold, career-wise. Besides, he wasn't even _really_ soliciting."

"Lady, he was hangin' with hookers and flirtin' with cops; that _reeks _of solicitation to me."

"He's a writer," Kate explains. "He had to do…_research._" She rolls her eyes. "He's method," she explains further at their raised eyebrows.

The cop sighs. "Fine," he says. "We'll drop the charges. Just…make sure he knows what he's doin' next time, will ya? I'm not letting him off again."

Kate nods and thanks Officer Sobecki profusely, following him back to holding to retrieve her writer—and bursting into another fit of giggles when they find him pulling at a wedgie.

She leads him out of the Precinct, both of them quiet until they reach her car. She forces herself to focus on the road as she drives.

"So…" she says, after a few moments, "what…?"

Castle sighs. "There's a scene involving a drag show and mobsters and Derrick Storm goes undercover to—"

"No, no," Kate says, "don't spoil it. I just meant…why didn't you say anything?"

"What?" Castle furrows his brow at her.

"About your little…_research project._ I coulda helped you know."

"Before or after you teased me mercilessly?" he asks.

"Castle," Kate says, "I wouldn't have teased you about this if you'd told me beforehand; I know how important your research is to you. Hell, you've only been following me around for four years, doing 'research'." Even though they both know that this—whatever is between them—is more than just 'research'. "If you'd told me, I could have helped; could even have gotten you onstage somewhere instead of hanging around with a bunch of hookers."

"Sunshine and Lady aren't _hookers_," Castle gasps. "They're…ladies of the night."

"Which is another way of saying they're hookers," Kate points out. "Look, I don't care what you call them; I just wish you'd told me about this. Maybe I could have helped you dress better."

"What's wrong with the way I'm dressed?" Castle asks, looking down at the blindingly glittery pink dress.

"First of all, pink is _not _your color," Kate says. "Secondly, didn't Martha ever teach you how to apply makeup? You have lipstick on your teeth and it's _totally _the wrong shade for your complexion. And are you even _wearing _foundation? Also, what is up with that wig?"

"It's one of my mother's," Castle sighs. "I kind of raided her costume closet; this is all hers. Well, except for these shoes—which hurt like hell, by the way."

"That's because they're stilettos," Kate points out, "and you're probably terrified of breaking them. We should find you a nice pair of block heels; they'll support your weight much better."

"We?" Castle asks.

"Did I stutter?" Kate teases. "Yes, _'we'_. The only reason those cops picked you up tonight is because you were dressed like a whore; with my help, you'll look like…"

"A lady of the night?" Castle jokes.

"Something like that," Kate replies. "By the way, am I driving you back to your place or…?"

"Do you still have my gym clothes in the back?" Castle asks, turning to look towards her trunk. "Maybe I could just crash on your couch in those and go back tomorrow morning like I just got back from working out."

"I don't have any sneakers for you to wear," Kate informs him.

"There should be a pair in the bag," Castle says, "or I could just wait until my mother and Alexis are out of the apartment."

"It's Saturday," Kate points out. "Neither of them has school."

"Crap," Castle groans. "I don't have any money for a pair of new sneakers. And I left my phone at home."

"Another tip," Kate says, as they pull up to her building; "Always carry a purse."

**REVIEWS please!**


	35. Chapter 35

**Prompt: Caskett at first book launch party as a married couple.**

The lights are just as blinding as she remembers, only this time she's not walking into them alone, stumbling and trying to hide a ridiculous sense of panic that she'll embarrass herself in front of the press. This time, she's anchored to a warm, solid body next to her; a man who hold her arm in the crook of his just as firmly as he holds her heart.

Kate beams up at Castle, whose stride is long and purposeful next to hers, two the syncing up perfectly—as always. He glances down at her in return and presses a kiss to her hand, which strikes a chord of 'Aww', both in her heart, and in the crowd around them.

She blushes beautifully, looking down shyly at her feet, playing coy, her fingers tugging at the hem of the simple black cocktail dress he'd bought her for the event. She'd twisted his ear for it, told him she could buy her own, but he'd insisted—claimed that he'd seen it in a store window and thought that she'd look ravishing in it.

She can't say she disagrees. The dress is perfect for her body; strapless and thigh-length, it's both modest and sensual at the same time. The top is like a corset that laces up high enough on her chest to conceal her scar, but low enough to reveal just a hint of cleavage, and the skirt is layered so that it flutters out when she turns; it, combined with the way he's looking at her tonight, makes her feel like the most gorgeous creature on the face of the earth (which he has told her she is only about a dozen times tonight).

And her shoes…oh, she loves these shoes. They're about an inch higher than her usual footwear and about three times as expensive (these, she'd bought with her own hard-earned money) and she _never _wants to take them off. They're stilettos, high and sharp enough to kill a man with ease, she thinks. She could see herself strutting to a crime scene in these, leaving no doubt in anybody's mind that she means business.

Even the press currently surrounding them seems taken with her attire—the only questions they're asking her have to do with her outfit, as if she's not a Homicide Detective for the NYPD, his muse and a living, breathing human being, but rather an accessory.

She can tell that the questions annoy Castle almost as much as they annoy her by the way his arm tightens on hers, picking up his pace into the bar they'd rented out for the night, his books and cardboard cut-outs of his body surrounding them. Before they can escape completely, however, Kate hears a cutting remark.

"What a frigid bitch."

Her eyes widen at that, not because it hurts—she's heard worse from hundreds of low-lives looking to intimidate her, so a cliché insult from some dime a dozen reporter isn't that big a deal—but because she can feel Castle's body go rigid as he comes to a complete stop next to her. She feels him start to turn around, his body vibrating with anger, but she stops him, cups his cheeks so that he's staring down into her eyes. She offers him a soft smile as if to say, 'It's find; I'm okay,' and stretches (though in these awesome heels, she doesn't have to stretch far) to press her lips to his in a heated, loving kiss that proves to that dickhead reporter—and all the others, for that matter—just how _not_-frigid Kate Beckett is.

When they pull back, both are smiling like dopes, ignoring the flashes lighting up the sides of their faces. Kate links Castle's fingers with hers and guides him further into the room, where friends and family are already waiting for them. Her finger brushes over the cool metal of his wedding band and her smile widens, her heart soaring.

They're married. They're a married couple; husband and wife; yin and yang (it had even been in his vows, which, of course, elicited an eye roll at the ceremony from more than just her); happily ever after _married._

And she is so unbelievably happy.

Because less than six months ago, she'd thought that all hope was lost—again. Because they've been through so much, almost lost this chance dozens of times, have said their premature goodbyes too many times, both in writing and with real, physical spoken words and actions.

And now they're here—a couple months later than they'd originally planned, but they're here and that's all that matters. The press had—thankfully—let go of the whole 'kidnapping-delayed-wedding' and focused, instead, on the whirlwind romance between the writer and his detective-turned-wife muse—though they never really seem all that interested in _her _work.

She doesn't care, though; would give it all up if she could just have him. She wasn't lying two years ago when she showed up at his door, drenched to the bone with rain and regret, declaring that all she wanted was him.

That's still true. If she could just have him for the rest of her life—and she plans to—then so be it. But the addition of their family—his mother and daughter, who have both embraced her wholeheartedly since the whole kidnapping ordeal, and her father—and their friends and the distinct possibility of a couple of baby Castles in their near future (oh she can just see Madison's shit-eating grin now) is a very welcome bonus.

Their small group of friends and family surrounds them, congratulating Castle on his book and asking how their Honeymoon—they'd decided on Maui, where they'd had the wedding, an intimate private ceremony with under fifty people—went. Kate and Castle explain in pure 'Caskett' (because she really does love that couple name, as cheesy as it sounds) fashion, finishing each other's sentences and being sickeningly cute, while their loved ones listen attentively, their hands linked the entire time.

**REVIEWS please!**


	36. Chapter 36

**Okay, so y'all REALLY seemed to like that Drag Queen prompt and somebody requested it to be a two-shot so…**

**Prompt: Continuation of Drag Queen!Castle/Martha and Alexis's reactions.**

"Are you sure that's the right shade for me?" Castle asks as Kate pulls the blush from her makeup bag. She's already done his foundation—which hides all the blemishes he didn't even know he had—and his eyeliner, giving him 'wings to kill for' according to Kate. But when he sees the blood red shade of the rouge, he nearly backs out of the whole thing.

It's one thing for his partner/best friend/potential-future-mother-of-his-children to get him into a drag club and take him shopping for his 'research' dress and heels, but allowing her to do his makeup and dress him like her own life-sized Barbie doll…well, that's a little bit weird.

Isn't it?

Kate nods, opening the compact and dusting her brush in it, before bringing it to his face. "It'll do wonders for your complexion," she tells him, with a remarkably straight face. The novelty has probably run out by now, he thinks. It's been two weeks since she bailed him out for bogus soliciting charges—which, thanks to her, never stuck or got made public—and she seems to be good at keeping this secret from the boys. They have absolutely no idea that the 'friend from out of town' she took shopping last weekend—missing the celebratory after-case bar hop with the boys—was Castle. Or that their entire purchase consisted of a sinfully short, but loose in all the right places, red dress with a low back that looks lace-up and a skirt that 'accentuates your great ass' and a pair of black Louboutins with strong heels that he felt comfortable enough to put at least half of his weight on.

And paired together with a long, feathery black wig, well…even Kate had to admit that he looked hot; she could barely tell that he was a man. And even with that get up, she had to admit that she still found him incredibly attractive, even blushing when he winked at her, cheekily. She hid it well with an eye roll, though.

And now she's applying his makeup, her features schooled as she applies his blush, which covers his impeccable cheekbones.

"I've never noticed them before," she comments, "but they're similar to Martha's."

"Well, genetics being what they are…" Castle points out. She chuckles.

"Yeah, well red hair seems to run in the family, as well; though it skipped your generation." She runs a hand through his hair, absentmindedly, feeling the heat flush through her almost instantly. Clearing her throat, she removes her hand from his hair and reaches back into her bag for three tubes of lipstick, comparing them to his lips, attempting the find the right shade.

"Hmm," she says, picking the darkest of the three. "I think 'Satin Desire' will do for tonight. And paired with some smoky eye shadow? You'll be _irresistible._"

"Aren't I already?" he asks, cheekily. Kate snorts.

"I've seen better," she teases. "Heck, I've _dated _better."

Castle's eyes widen at that. "Past boyfriends with kinky fetishes?" he asks. Kate rolls her eyes.

"Okay," she says, "first of all, cross-dressing isn't a fetish; it's a personal choice, something some people actually _like _doing, the same way you like to write. Secondly, yes, one guy; name was Diamond-slash-Darren. Very pretty and handsome at the same time and worked heels better than I do, if I'm being honest. Thirdly, I was referring to past _girl_friends, Castle—cis-women."

His eyes widen further. "You're bisexual?" he asks. Kate shrugs.

"I am…what I am," she says. "I've never really labeled myself before, but if I were to go with a label, I'd say pan, not bi. Sexuality is pretty fluid, in my opinion."

Castle nods in agreement. "That's…that's an interesting tidbit," he says. "Thanks for sharing." It sounds incredibly genuine and Kate gives him a soft smile in return. "How many girlfriends have you had?" She immediately frowns, glaring at him. "Sorry, that came out ruder than I thought; I just meant…anybody I know?"

Kate sighs, shaking her head. "Lanie," she says, "sorta. We kissed, she didn't like it, moved on."

"_She _didn't like it?" Castle asks.

Kate shrugs. "It's no secret that Lanie's attractive," she says. "But she's my best friend and that's better than any little tryst that could have ruined it."

"Tryst?"

Kate snorts. "Oh God, Jane calls it that."

"Who's Jane?" Castle asks.

"A…friend," Kate says. "A _really _good friend. Now make an 'O' with your lips so I can paint 'em." Castle does as he's told and soon he's in full drag, modeling his dress and shoes and wig and fully made up face in the mirror, twirling around like he'd been doing it his whole life.

"Not bad, Castle," Kate laughs. "Or should I say…_Cherry_?"

**XXX**

Two hours later, she's sitting at the bar of some hole in the wall club named, 'Madame Butterfly's', drinking an Appletini (on the house for first-time customers) and waiting for the show to begin. Castle would be performing a fashion show/strip tease with at least four other performers and watching them rehearse the other day had been the highlight of her year; he owned that stage and everybody knew it. They could all see it.

Especially her.

The love—yes love; she's admitted to herself that a while ago—she felt for him increased tenfold when she saw him up there, having so much fun without a care in the world. He'd even blown her a kiss, which she'd returned, playfully. They hadn't talked about it afterward; she'd just waited while he got back into his street clothes and they'd headed off to Remy's for a milkshake, where they still did not talk about it.

She didn't know why he was so ashamed of it, though; she's almost certain that Martha and Alexis would be 100% accepting, whether it's for research or not. She's certain that they'd even prefer it over him following her; less a chance of his getting shot on a daily basis.

"This seat taken?" a gruff voice asks, startling her. She turns to the heavyset, bearded man next to her and offers a polite smile and a shake of the head. The man occupies the bar stool next to her and she turns back to the stage; he should be on any minute now.

"So," the gruff voice, which sounds like gravel being rubbed against a cheese grater, says, "you come here often?"

_Real original._ "No," Kate replies, not elaborating in the hopes that he would—

"Have you been to other places like this then?" No, he's not getting the message.

"Yes," Kate replies. "My…my girlfriend performs at them a lot."

"Girlfriend?" the man asks, looking her up and down. "Nah, you're too pretty to be a d***; you mean one a the girly men, don't ya?"

Kate turns to frown at him, opening her mouth to retort, but before she can, the lights flicker off and the music begins playing. She turns just in time to see 'Cherry' come out on stage, leading a whole group of drag queens, all of whom just as gorgeously fabulous as the last. They each strike a pose to the eruption of applause from the audience, some men and women hooting and hollering and wolf whistling. One of them, a darker-skinned queen, giggles and blows one of the men a kiss. He pretends to catch it and press it against his heart. She winks at him.

Kate smiles as Castle does the same for her, completely in character. She sends the kiss back, giving him a little wave in return.

"That your boyfriend?" the gruff voice asks. "The one in red?"

"Tonight," Kate growls, turning to glare daggers at him, "_she _is my _girlfriend._ Tomorrow, she'll be my boyfriend, if she wants to be. Now leave me alone."

"Geez," the man growls, "what a frigid little d***."

"I'd rather be a d*** than a dick," Kate replies, before standing up and walking away from him. She doesn't get too far before a group of men, half of which are dressed in drag, wave her over.

"Hey, honey," one of them says, offering her a seat. "Is he givin' you trouble?"

"Nothing I can't handle," Kate replies, smiling. "I'm used to messes like him." She flashes her badge and one of the queens whistles.

"Nice bling," she comments. Kate thanks her and they continue watching the show, sharing idle chit chat as she watches 'her girl' do her thing.

After the show, Kate receives a hug from every one of them before meeting up with Castle, who's grinning like a fool.

"That," he says, "was exhilarating! I can't believe I've never done that before."

Kate smiles at that. "This gonna become a regular thing for you, Castle?" she asks. "You know, for _research_?"

"Nah," Castle says. "I think one night was enough; besides, my feet are _killing _me. How do you walk in these things?"

"Years of practice," Kate says, laughing, before linking her arm through his. "Now, come on; let's go get some food and get you back before your mother and daughter get home."

Castle follows her, attempting not to limp his way to the street, where they quickly hail a cab. Even once they're seated, Kate doesn't unhook her arm, their sides pressed together the entire trip back to his place. They opt for ordering in some Chinese and Castle makes the call as they step out of the cab, Kate tossing some cash at the driver to cover their fare since Castle still hasn't found a suitable purse.

He hangs up the phone by the time they're in the elevator and they ride up in silence.

When they reach his floor, Castle allows Kate to precede her to the door, following her lead, even in those incredibly high and painful heels. Outside his door, Kate stops him before he can unlock it, causing him to look down at her in confusion.

"Castle," she says, "I…I have to tell you something."

"What is it?" Castle asks, leaning towards her.

Kate takes a deep breath. "I…"

"Dad?"

Their eyes widen and both Kate and Castle turn to see Alexis staring at them—well, _him_—with wide eyes, shocked to her very core, without a doubt.

"Uh…I can explain?" Castle offers, meekly.

Alexis just stands there, mouth gaping as the two adults—her father in _drag_—stare back at her.

"This can't get any worse," Castle mumbles.

"Alexis," Martha's voice floats through, making Castle shut his eyes tightly. "Who's at the door?"

"Apparently it can," Castle grouses, edging his way into the apartment, past his shell-shocked daughter, no longer attempting to hide his humiliation—not like he can really keep this a secret anymore, right?—as he makes his way into the kitchen, moving towards his liquor cabinet.

"_Richard_?!" Martha exclaims and he doesn't even have to turn around to know that she's sitting at the counter.

"Hello, Mother," he says, trying to sound casual in the hopes that she'd let it go.

"What on _Earth_?" she gasps as he turns towards her, drinking straight from a bottle of whiskey.

"I can explain," he says, against the burn in his throat.

"Well, you better," Martha says, narrowing her eyes angrily, "because _that _is my good wig!"

**REVIEWS!**


	37. Chapter 37

**Semi-crossover; hope it still counts.**

**Prompt: C & B meet at a wedding AU**

The ceremony was one of the most beautiful Kate had ever seen. Both brides looked absolutely gorgeous in their gowns—one simple and short with an understated veil and one designer with a tight bodice, a princess skirt and a train that trailed behind her, a shiny silver tiara set in her blonde curls—and there was not a dry eye in the house.

That included Kate and her 'date', Dr. Lanie Parish, who blew her nose quite loudly as the brides shared their first kiss as a married couple, much to Kate's amusement. Lanie glared at her.

"Don't you laugh at me, Kate Beckett," she hissed, nudging her best friend. "It's _your _fault I'm weeping in the first place."

"How is it _my _fault?" Kate hissed back, laughing.

"You're the one that invited me here in the first place, aren't you?" Lanie pointed out. "Ergo _your fault._"

"Your logic is seriously flawed," Kate snorted, clapping as the happy couple walked down the aisle, waving as her friend caught her eye and blowing a kiss. Jane caught it with a grin and pulled her new wife against her body, pressing a kiss to the crown of Maura's head as they made their way to the exit.

"Whatever," Lanie said, bringing her attention back. "Where's the reception now?"

"Not much of a reception," Kate said, leading her friend out of the chapel. "Just an open bar and wedding cake at some bar downtown; Jane gave me the address."

"I still cannot believe you got invited to your ex-girlfriend's wedding," Lanie commented, linking their arms together.

"She is _not _my ex-girlfriend," Kate groaned. "We just had…a thing—a couple of _things_, actually—but it was only ever just sex; nothing more ever came of it."

"Mmhmm," Lanie replied, unbelievingly. "Whatever you say…"

Kate rolled her eyes, leading her shorter friend towards their rental car as she tried to shake off her words.

She and Jane never really had more than a few lonely nights together, when they both craved human companionship and found each other. To be honest, she barely knew anything about Jane, other than her choice of lingerie and that she was Homicide Detective for the city of Boston—just like Kate was a detective for the city of New York. There was really nothing more to their relationship but murder and sex. And now it was just murder.

**XXX**

"I'm so happy you could make it!" Maura practically gushed, wrapping her arms around the much taller man in front of her. Richard Castle boomed out a laugh, squeezing her tightly and nearly lifting her off of her feet.

"I wouldn't miss it for the world," he replied, beaming down at her. "You make the most beautiful bride." The younger woman blushed bright pink and he laughed, turning to her wife. "You're a very lucky woman, Miss—er, _Mrs. _Rizzoli-Isles."

The curly-headed brunette gave him a dimpled grin, before turning her eyes on her bride. "Yeah," she said, lacing her fingers with the blonde's, "I am." Castle smiled between the two of them, feeling slightly jealous.

He'd never been that happy, with either of his brides. The first time, it had been a shotgun wedding, with a four-month pregnant, moody redhead who would have rather been partying with a bunch of frat guys than promising him her everlasting love—which, in reality, only lasted about three years; probably less. The second time, the wedding had been rushed and small; family only. And his and Gina's love was based more on pure in-the-moment passion than true love, anyway. It had quickly died out, though the second marriage had last nearly twice as long as the first.

But that left him here now, alone at one of his oldest friends' wedding because his daughter had been unwilling to skip an important Calculus test—as she should be; he would not allow her to fail in her studies any more than she would allow herself to—and he'd been unwilling to pick from the hoard of women who usually followed—stalked—him around Manhattan.

And to make matters worse, he'd nearly missed the ceremony, having to stand in the back and watch as the two brides exchanged vows that he'd taken himself, twice.

He wasn't bitter, though; just…melancholy? No; that implied sadness and he was not sad, not about this. Really, it was all just about being lonely.

Maura Isles had been his friend since their twenties, when he'd asked her to help him with research on one of his novels, _Desire to Kill_, and listened to her describe all the ways one might conceivably commit the perfect murder—from an M.E's point of view, anyway. They'd instantly connected—not sexually, but intellectually, though Maura Dorothea Isles was far smarter than him—and stayed in touch all these years later.

And now she had Jane and he…he needed a drink.

Wandering over to the bar, Castle ordered a gin and tonic, waiting patiently for the bartender to pour it out before saluting him and dropping a twenty into the fish bowl on the bar top.

"That's generous," a voice next to him said and he turned, coming face to face with a pair of the most beautiful green eyes he'd ever seen.

**XXX**

"Don't freak out," Lanie said, clutching her hand even tighter as they walked into the bar, "but ain't that that writer that you like?"

"Which one?" Kate asked, looking in the same direction, her eyes falling on a pair of broad shoulders encased in a dark gray suit jacket. The man turned slightly, looking towards the happy couple, who were practically being suffocated by Jane's mother and brothers, and gasped.

_Richard. Freaking. Castle._

Richard Castle was at this freaking party! But how-? What—? Who-?

"Well?" Lanie asked. "Is that him? Is that Dick Castle?"

Kate rolled her eyes. "It's _Rick_," she corrected.

"Same difference," Lanie brushed off. "Is that him?"

Kate nodded, dumbly, gnawing on her bottom lip. The closest she'd ever been to Rick Castle had been at one of his book signings, when there was nothing but a table and a stack of books between them. He'd given her this amazing, charming, dimpled grin and she'd practically melted at his feet, unable to say much more than 'Hi' and 'Thank you'. And now, here he was again and the only barrier between them was about half a dozen buzzed and boisterous party guests. Barriers she could easily weave her way around.

"So what are you waiting for, then?" Lanie asked. "Go! Talk to him! Maybe you'll get lucky." Kate rolled her eyes, tossing a glare at her friend. "What?" Lanie cackled. "It's a wedding! I'm looking to get a lucky myself, if you know what I mean." The shorter woman winked at her, before making her way towards a tall, dark-skinned man who looked about ten years their junior.

Kate rolled her eyes again, before turning back in Richard Castle's direction, taking a deep breath to compose herself as she sauntered towards the bar, gathering confidence with every single step.

She arrived just in time to see him toss a twenty into the bartender's tip jar, as if it were just another regular dollar bill—just chump change. She smirked at that, leaning against the bar next to him, not that he noticed.

"That's generous," she said, immediately gaining his attention as he turned that beautiful, blue-eyed gaze on her. She could practically feel the world dissolve away as their eyes connected, a current of electricity running up her spine, sparking between them, making her face flush and her heart swell in her chest as he gave her that disarming grin.

"Can I buy you a drink?" he asked, smiling down at her. Kate lifted one brow, ignoring the flare of excitement in her chest at the offer.

"I don't even know your name," she lied, poker face in place.

"Richard Castle," he introduced, offering his hand; "Writer."

Kate smiled, raising her own hand to shake his. "Katherine Beckett," she replied; "NYPD."

His eyebrows rose and his grin widened. "One of New York's _finest_, I see," he commented, his eyes raking over her body, making her shiver in delight as his eyes burned a path over her body.

"I guess you could say that," Kate flirted, biting her lip. "You're not too shabby yourself, Mister Castle."

Castle's grin became cocky and Kate had to suppress the urge to roll her eyes.

"So," he said, "about that drink…"

**Another one to put on the backburner for a possible full-length. **

**And this, my dear friends, marks the end of our journey together—maybe. I still haven't decided if I'm going to fill another prompt or two, despite this one marking the completion of my 75,000 word goal. I might, though; stay tuned.**

**Oh, and please REVIEW!**


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